The Cross Princess
by MyEmeraldTears
Summary: When Yuuki Cross, a princess and mighty sorcerer, escapes a marriage from a scheming Kaname, she decides to flee the country, until she is powerful enough to take him down. But she runs into something unexpected. A secret organization, created to overthrow the Kingdom she was once part of. But, chaos comes with her arrival. After all, illegal love is always a hurricane.
1. The Straining Escape

I ran through the forest. Farther then I ever had before. Each step sent a shock of pain through my legs, and my exhaustion was slowly creeping up on me. But, honestly, that didn't bother me. Nor did the fact that I was straying farther and farther from my home. Actually, I wanted…no, needed to get away from the place.

So I ran away.

But, now, here's the catch. When you run away from your home, you _won't _get chased by five hundred people, am I right? And when you run away from home, the whole _country _doesn't know about it, right? Well, that's where I'm a little bit _different_ from other people. You see, I belong to a royal heritage. In fact, I'm the fabled princess of Cross Kingdom! Yes, Yuuki Cross, right at your doorstep!

…

I know, I know, not the time for jokes. No, but really. I can't just walk up to some unsuspecting commoner, demand to be quartered in their home, and state that '_It's just because I'm a princess'_. I mean, who would believe me? And if someone _did _believe me, wouldn't the news already be out, that I'm missing from the kingdom? And so, wouldn't that person turn me in (not without some kind of incentive, of course)?

I stop abruptly, and stand still. My eyes wander around for sometime, and I soon find what I'm looking for. I saunter over to a rock that looked comfortable enough to sit on and plunk down rather ungracefully (Oh, whose watching?) on top of it. I hoist my elbows on my knees, and pointing my palms upward, and limply drop my head into my hands. My eyes start to water, and I quickly wipe at the tears. But new ones take their place almost immediately, and this time, I don't try to stop it. The first tear slips down my face, and many follow, having a race to the bottom of my bruised and scratched face.

I flip out a compact mirror from my pocket of my jeans, (I never really was fond of dresses. Restricts your movements too much.) and open it. I come face to face with my tattered reflection, and I grimace as I see how battered and bruised I look, crying even harder. My blouse was ripped from every angle, stained with blood and dirt. My jeans were heavily faded, ripped more than my shirt, but less blood and dirt. My long, brown hair was in many knots and snarls, intertwined with leaves and twigs, and my feet were impaled with sticks and rocks, bleeding alarmingly. I rip a bit of material from my blouse, and tie it around each foot, to at least slow the bleeding. I look over myself one more time. What have I done? Is this really a _princess_ I'm staring at? How did I become _this_?

I sob, and drop the compact mirror on the ground. I drop my head into my hands once more and try to slow down the memories rushing into my head, about the man, the _reason _I was in this mess. But alas…

Arranged marriages, probably the worst tradition belonging to that of a Royal Family. My father, Kaien Cross, was a good man; he cared about me deeply, maybe a little bit _too _much, but the country was his first priority. And if I had to marry _anyone_, it would be to one most beneficial to our…um…_his_ kingdom. So, instead of marrying out of love, I got stuck with Kaname Kuran, an abusive, tyrannical ass who cares about nothing but power and my magic. Oh, and also my body.

Probably might not have caught it, but I did say magic. And not just magic, but _my _magic, if you catch my drift. Yes, I am a sorcerer. In fact, I'm the most powerful of my kind, tied with only one. Probably as you guessed it, Kaname. Now, I am human, even though a spell caster, but the only reason why Kaname is tied with me in magical aspects is because he's a vampire. Vampires get enhanced, well, _everything_. Hearing, sight, smell, strength, wisdom, beauty, length of life, etc. But, only one is bestowed the ability to weave spells, and fate has it that the only vampire in _centuries _whose been chosen, has got to be the one who thinks of all creatures in life as his pawns.

But, I'm strong, I won't back down. My efforts will not go to waste, I know, because when I get the chance, I _will _beat him. I don't want any of my people to suffer anymore because of me, so I will personally drive Kaname _out _of the country. But, only when I get powerful enough, as not only does he have great magical abilities (As much as I hate to admit it), he also is very athletically enabled to do, well, anything he wants. Including kicking my butt.

So, that's why I ran away from home. To get stronger, to avoid the horrible fate that awaits me, and to make sure my people don't suffer under that ass of a king-to-be. As long as I run away from him, he will _never_ be king. It may be hard. It _is _hard, but I have to deal with it. Even though this is not entirely my fault, I have to deal with it…alone. If I let anyone help me, they _will _get hurt, and they might be killed, and if nothing happens to them in battle, at best, probably wanted for treason. I could never live with that, so, that's how I ended up alone, chased, wanted, and depressed, fighting a force that I know I can't defeat alone.

My sobs now slow to a mere sniffle, and I lift my head up, determined, my spirit now rejuvenated. I _will _beat him. I know I will…

A thump echoes from the distance, and some muffled voices ring out. I gasp, as whip my head around to search the area. The conclusion that the men aren't close to me doesn't slow down my erratic heartbeat, and I utter softly a Word of Hearing. Even with the enhanced spell, the voices are hard to understand, but I do the best I can.

"Did you…her…waiting…near?"

"Yes…near…we…can't be far."

I let out a groan, and stand up from the seemingly comfortable rock. I start of into a slow jog, but as I hear several 'Hey!'-s and 'Over There!'-s, my slow jog quickly forms into a sprint, forgetting the cuts on my feet. I scream a Word of Adrenaline, the orange glow already starting to form around me, before it gets absorbed into my body. The spell works quickly, fortunately, and I feel my fatigue and pain wash away. I sprint faster, feeling better than ever, until I see that they've gotten closer. A couple of more seconds after, I'm able to see _why _they are able to move much faster than I am, despite the spell. The answer is simple, but deadly, and I gasp in remorse as the reason is finally showed to me.

Oh crap.

Horses.

I'm royally screwed.

Not enough magic to transport, sadly, but enough to cast some fighting spells, seeing that I can't outrun them with no horse and all. I stop, and turn around to face my pursuers. Around seven of them, and they all slow down once they reach me. They start to slowly circle around me, taunting me, seemingly trapping my means of escape.

"We have come to return you to Prince Kaname, Yuuki Cross." One says sharply. His voice is cold, but that doesn't stop the searing anger burning through my body.

"Return my ass! I never belonged to him in the first place!" I shriek. "And you _will _use my name with the proper honorific!"

"I call you what ever I please…"Then spits. God. It's like there's a spoiled little child in the body of a man."…and you will come with us, whether we force you, or you go willingly."

"Force me it is! But, you better start digging your own grave, because your gonna be in it in three seconds!" I smirk, and call on some electricity, sending it to my hands, and stretching my arm out, to show them I wasn't going down with out a fight. One by one, they get of their horses, and send them away, so I can't access them. But, I don't think they realized that they sent away their only transportation, so I help them to realize. "Idiots. You just send away your own means of transportation away!"

"I think we can manage to carry one scrawny girl back to the town, even if it's miles away." One scoffs. Soon, I'm surrounded by seven people, all with weapons drawn, with my magic on low, and if I lose, then I get sent back to the our city. But if I win, then I might have to travel miles, with no energy, no magic, and the only humans (vampires, sorcerers, creatures, etc.) are the ones who want to force me to come back. Regardless if I win the battle or not. I'm in a pretty sticky situation, but the only thing to do, is to defeat them, and hope for a rescuer.

"So?" I drawl. "All at once, or one at a time? Doesn't really matter to me, as your going to lose anyway." That sets them off, and they all come charging at me at once. Not even batting an eye, I touch the floor with my electric charged hand, and whisper the word '_spread'. _Soon enough electricity spreads through the floor. Most of them jump, but two don't react quick enough, the electricity coursing through their bodies, putting them down for the count. Glancing at their fallen comrades, they start to hesitate, taking a couple of steps away from me. I take their hesitation as an opportunity to pull a small rod from my pocket. I bring the rod close to my mouth, and whisper, " Artemis, be a scythe, please?" I throw the small rod in the air, and watch as it glows blue, before transforming into a beautiful scythe, something that is perfect for killing low lives like these.

The scythe falls, and I catch it gracefully in my hands, twirling it around to show my skill with the weapon.

"Thank you, Artemis."

The goons notice the weapon in my hands, and look at each other, planning whether or not to attack me. I see them quickly conclude that the wrath of their master is far scarier than me (Which may be true…), and charge at me, weapons drawn. When they're about to reach me, I jump in the air, letting them collide with each other. One of them raises a gun, after finding my location, and shoots. The bullet lands in my thigh, and slides through it like a knife through butter. I bite my lip to hold back the scream bursting through my throat, and I fall towards the ground. I land quite painfully on my tattered feet, and groan. The blood loss is making myself getting dizzier and dizzier by the second. I'm losing blood fast, so I rip another shard from my blouse (Poor thing…), and tie it around my thigh to apply pressure to the wound. The blood already soaks through, and I sigh sharply, as I feel my Word of Adrenaline start to fade off. I know I have to defeat them now, so I get ready to attack. I then look up to see the goons fighting with each other, but it's four against one. My hearing is muffled, but I can make out the conversation.

"You idiot! We were supposed to bring her back alive!" One says

"I'm sorry! I only meant for it to be a flesh wound!" Another begs. Hah. Liar…

"Come on. Lets bring her back to the…!"

Their conversation is cut short, as I rush towards them, Artemis held behind my back. I quickly slice at one of them, cutting a deep gash in his chest, and seeing one disappear, I take Artemis, and stab it backwards, hitting another who tried to win with a cheap shot. Three more remain, and my Word of Adrenaline is almost over, I know, because I feel like I'm ready to faint. One pulls out his sword, and slices horizontally, but I take Artemis in both hands, and counterattack vertically. We have a small showdown, with him winning most of the time, when another comes behind my back again (Sheesh, what is _up _with these people and cowardly attacks?), and prepares to stab with a sword of his own. I let go of Artemis with one hand, and elbow the person behind me, him falling to the floor, then jump up to avoid the attack from the man I was dueling with. I hold Artemis above my head, and slam down and stab the man on the floor, then quickly pull Artemis out of his body, attacking the other man horizontally, cutting his torso pretty badly. The last goon, seeing his comrades taken down easily, flees, but I whisper "Artemis, a gun please?", and feel the scythe transform into a gun. I raise the gun, and shoot. I hit the man straight in the head, and watch as his body falls lifeless onto the ground.

My breathing is heavy, but it doesn't stop me from speaking. "I don't like killing in general, but if it's to rid my country of horrible people like yourself, "I scoff, "I'd gladly do it." A stay silent for a while, then sigh. "Thank you Artemis. You may return to your original form now." The gun glows blue, and when I throw it up into the air, and catch it, it's no longer a gun. It's simply a small rod, ready to be put away into my pocket.

Suddenly, my body receives a shock of pain, and I cough a bit before I fall to the ground. My vision is hazy, everything looks like a dream. I cough out blood, and quickly look down to my thigh, seeing it bleed through my jeans, through the strip of my blouse, and when I touch the area softly, my fingers are soon soaked with blood. I close my eyes, and I'm about to give into my fatigue and exhaustion, but the ruffle of leaves and the sound of footsteps snap me out of my daze. I stand up with haste, but nearly fall back down, and the pain in my thigh and feet is excruciating. I let out a gasp, and start to limp away from the area. I had to find a place to stay and hide, because if I have to fight another battle, I won't make it. With that idea in mind, I start to run, trying my best, but failing miserable, to ignore the pain.

I thought that my situation couldn't get any worse, but if fate has it, when running the fastest I could at the mean time, my foot gets caught in a small gap in the ground, and I get sent flying through the air before roughly landing on the ground. I roll a bit, accumulating more scratches and bruises, and my back hits the trunk of a tree roughly. I groan in pain, as my vision starts to dim. I try to stay conscious, for my life, for my country, but I soon give in to the tendrils of darkness beckoning me into it's vacuum, and the last thing I see before my departure into oblivion, were bright lavender eyes, coming closer to me by the second.

I wake up to the sound of clinking pots and pans, the sizzling of oil, and the smell of food being prepared. I feel enthusiastic, and raise my feet to get out of bed, but when I gain a shock of pain through my thigh for my efforts, I'm quickly snapped back to reality. I was running away from some goons. They caught up to me, and I fought a battle, where I suffered a gunshot in my upper left thigh. I ran away from some one else, but tripped, and after my previous ordeal, ultimately passed out. Now I'm in a room, which makes no sense. I looked around the room. Not exactly fitting for that of a royal heritage, but I room is a room, even with limited furniture…

Then it struck me, a light bolt of realization.

Why am I in a bed? How the _hell_ did I get in a bed? And, the sound and smell of food? I'm not alone…but, this is not my bed. And…I look down to my thigh, where the gunshot had invaded. There was gauze wrapped neatly on my bare leg and…

Bare? My brain starts working a bit more, still a bit drowsy from the whole ordeal before. Then…

"The _hell_?" I screech "Who undressed me?" I look down at the nightgown I was dressed in. It was pretty plain, just a few lacerations on the bottom, but that was mostly it. The length was moderate, so at least I know that the guy isn't a pervert…ish.

The clanking of pots and pans stop, and I know that I attracted the attention of whoever was cooking with my earlier shriek. I gasp, because I know that he's coming, and for all that I know, he might be the bad guy. Sure enough, some footsteps sound in the distance, coming closer to the room I'm in. Before I panic, I whisper a Word of Power. This time, a red glow spreads around me, then absorbs into my body. I feel my strength soaring, even though I only have magic for two more spells, thanks to the mild sleep I gained. I call on some light magic, and once in my hands, I mold it into a sphere. At that time, the footsteps reach my room. I hold in my breath in nervous anticipation. Nothing happens for a while.

_SLAM! _The door swings open, banging against the back of the wall. I don't even wait to determine whether he's good or not, before I let the ball fly. Too surprised to react, it hits him dead on target, on his heart. He falls to his knees, and coughs a bit on his hands, then stares at them, now soaked with blood. He stands up, whispers something, and then raises his head. His lavender eyes flash angrily towards me, before he rushes over, and grabs my neck. He slams me on the back wall, knocking the air out of my body, and squeezes my neck harder, leaving air as a problem that I have to solve fast. I thrash against him, clawing at any part I could reach. My eyes hold no fear, but in my mind, I'm panicking. _How is he not dead? The spell was made to kill! Plus the boost from the Word of Power…any normal human would be dead! Heck, any human being would be dead! _I'm running out of air, so I decide to take a defensive strategy. In my mind, I summon electricity, and send it to my hands. The man doesn't notice, too busy in strangling me. I start to raise my hands slowly, but unfortunately he notices this. He's about to stop my resistance, so I quickly slam my hands on his neck. I feel the electrical charge leave my body, and go into his. His grip slackens, and his hands slide against the wall to keep himself up. I wiggle out of his grasp, and as I see him shape up to go after me, I aim a kick in between his legs. He falls to the floor, groaning, muttering incoherent words, and then I remembered that I was still under the influence of the Word of Power. Despite the fact he was trying to kill me a couple of seconds ago, I offer a soft "Sorry." and run out the open door.

"Oh God. Where the hell am I?" I say. I press my hand against my neck, and hiss in pain. Shoot. Bruises, I think. I search for my compact mirror, so I can see the damage but I remember that I dropped it in the forest before. I sigh.

Anyway, here's my situation. I've been running around the house, trying to find an exit, with no such luck. Though, as I pass some doors, I could hear some soft breathing, wheezing, or obnoxious snoring.

_Great. That means there are more people in this building…_

I'm now running through the hallways, every step causing pain to build up in my thigh. I know that man will come after me, and that's why I try to pick the most confusing route possible. Though, it's gotten _me_ lost, also.

Oh well.

My run turns into walking, and then I ultimately stop when the pain in my thigh reaches its max. I swear, and press on the wound softly, and even with the gentle touch, it sends ripples of pain through my body. I let out a groan, and try to continue walking again.

Footsteps echo out in the distance, and so does heavy breathing. I know it's him, the man I attacked, probably to get revenge, so I start to walk faster, before setting off into a small jog towards a fork in the hallway. I see him running towards me, though I can't see his eyes. He sees me and starts to sprint towards me, and I quickly choose which direction I go in, left, and start running through it. But as he sees what direction I'm going in, he stops running, and starts walking. I wonder why he had a sudden change of urgency, while looking at him from behind, but as I turn my head forward, I stop, and let out a gasp of surprise. Guess what?

A dead end.

And a deadly guy right behind me.

I'm royally screwed.

I whip my head around to face him, my eyes wide with shock and remorse, as his are quite amused, alight with humor and smugness. He takes a step towards me, and I take one back. The pattern continues, until my back hits the wall. We're about two meters apart, and we stare at each other for quite a while, anticipating a move from the other person. I take this as an opportunity to examine his features.

Tall. Very tall, about two heads higher than me. His body was lean, and he had muscle, but not enough to make him look big. He was wearing a t-shirt, with the first couple of buttons open, exposing his defined collarbone, and a bit of his chest. No hair there. Good. His hair was a nice, silver color, and short, it came up to the bottom of his neck. His bangs covered some of his eyes, and…my lord. His eyes. They were sharp, a nice lavender color, with some silver chips, and I feel like they could burn into my soul. In short, they were absolutely and utterly gorgeous. I couldn't stop staring at them, like I was completely in trance with them.

He smirks, and it brakes me out of my daze. He starts moving forward, and it makes my heart skip a beat. I try to run towards him, and hopefully slip through the gap in-between his body and the wall. Unfortunately, he senses what I'm doing, and moves his arm to catch me, preventing my escape. I recoil sharply, and try a second time, but he tackles me to the floor roughly. He captures both of my wrists in one big hand, _oh crap, I can't access Artemis_, and puts it over my head, and traps my legs in between his. I gasp, and really start to struggle then, but he puts an end to it, by squeezing my wrists painfully. His eyes roam to my neck, where he had strangled me before, eying the bruises. His finger brushes over it, and I bite my lip to hold back the gasp of pain. He presses on it, and I shut my eyes and hiss. _Enjoying this, isn't he, the sadist freak…_

I open my eyes, about to give him a taste of my mind, but stop immediately when I see his amethyst orbs thick with concern and remorse. He looks down at me, but I turn my head away to avoid his stare, which could easily break my heart, if it hadn't already. My strategy works; for a while, but I whip my head back, as I feel him lower his head to my neck. He brings his tongue out of his mouth, and softly licks the bruises, one by one. I struggle against his grip, shaking my head wildly, but he uses his free hand to grip my face. He gets more into it now, his head buried in my neck, silver tresses rubbing against my face. He licks a slow, sensual line down each bruise, sending shivers down my spine. When he's licked every bruise on that side, he flips me over, so my stomach is touching the floor, and attacks the other side of my neck. His weigh on my body is slowly pushing me closer to the floor. He licks from my neck, all the way to my ear, and whispers, "All better?" His hot breath on my ear causes me to shiver uncontrollably.

I nod hastily, confused by what he means by '_All better?'_, but he doesn't let me go just yet. Instead, he flips me over, and puts me into a sitting position. His hands snake out to press the bruises, and my eyes widen in surprise at what I feel.

It doesn't hurt anymore.

We walk down the hallways briskly, no words being exchanged, no glances at each other. I can't wonder why I don't blush, I mean, anyone would. After all, my neck had been sucked and licked by an _extremely_ hot man. Even though it was just to heal my bruises, which was, by the way, quite unbelievable, he still had done it.

What confuses me, is why he did it. The look in his eyes shattered my heart into pieces. He looked so…so guilty. There was even some self-hate and loneliness in his eyes. Automatically, I knew he wasn't bad, I knew I could trust him. So that's why I was walking with him, down these hallways that I don't know, but he does, out of magic, and exhausted. As much as I hate to admit it, I was completely at his mercy.

I sigh, seeing as he won't look at me, and decide to break the pattern.

I glance up at him and smile, as I say softly, "Hey, what's your name?"

"Zero Kiryu." He replies sharply, like he wants nothing to do with this conversation.

My smile falters, but lights right up again, as I try once more to strike conversation with him. "How old are you?"

"18."

"Your job?"

"Vampire Hunter"

"Do you like it?"

"I don't know." Um...

"So, is this your house?"

"Yes."

"Do you like living here?"

"I don't know." Okay, I'm starting to get a bit annoyed.

"Favorite color?"

"Black."

"Favorite, um… food?" Better have a good answer…

"I don't know." Really? Really.

"Favorite…uh…um…" Obviously, I was running out of questions. I was having a hard time keeping my temper under check. He was only making it harder. "You know what, never mind. " I say.

He rolls his eyes. "Whatever."

My temper snaps then, and I can't help but scream at him. "What do you mean, 'Whatever'? You were the one who was practically sucking my neck before!" He looks pretty surprised at my outburst. I continue. "And now you act like I'm not worth your time, that you can't be bothered to get to know me! What the hell is your problem?" I shriek. I turn around and start to walk away.

He grabs my shoulders before I can get away, and slams me against the wall. I look up, simply infuriated that he thinks he can touch me like this, whenever he pleases.

"Don't touch me!" I push him hard, and sprint down the hallway. He catches up to me in four long strides, and grabs my wrist, halting my retreat. I whip my head back, angry tears shining in my eyes. "What?" I spat. I have _never _been treated like this! I have _never _been so angry, and no man has _ever_ had such an effect on me. Why is it that he can make me angry, with out doing anything…kind of.

He has that look in his eyes again, the one of loneliness, and sorrow, and I throw my head

"I'm sorry." What? "Um..." I don't think he was much of a social butterfly... "I didn't know that I was annoying you. I just though you wouldn't want to speak with me, after that whole, um," He blushes a bit, "ordeal."

I sigh sharpy. Then, annoyed, I say "Of course not." I smile. "And besides…you're too intriguing not to talk to." A pause. "But can you warn me before you have a childish attitude, and give me the cold shoulder?"

He smiles faintly, a brilliant heart-smashing smile. "Of course."


	2. Newly Acquired Aquaintances

It turns out that the house…no… _castle_ I'm in…

Is right smack in the middle of the forest. Now, I don't know _what _a castle is doing here, especially such a _big _one, (explains why I couldn't find the exit, a couple of hours ago when being chased by Zero.) but it's not like I'm going to complain. I always _was _a outdoor type, never would wear dresses, never wanted to shop, or do makeup. My father, Kaien Cross, always complained. _'Why don't you act like a normal teenager, Yuuki, my darling?" _ I would always retort back, "_Cause I'm a princess, of course!" _

I chuckle a bit, and that gains me the attention of almost everyone in the room.

Well, might as well fill you in about the situation. Right now, I'm in a spacey room with beautiful decorations littering the walls and floors. The ceiling is high, and windows climbed all the way to the ceiling, to the floor, but didn't cover the whole of the room, only a modest portion of it.

Anyway, I'm in this room, me and a couple dozen other people, all about as scary as Zero when I first met him. Well… almost all. Some are actually smiling, but the one who looks the most…well, normal, is a tall, blond headed boy, with straight hair, that almost covers his eyes, which are hazy green, by the way. He seems to be the sun of the room, rejuvenating everyone's spirits, and whatnot.

But, each one emits a powerful aura in the vicinity of their bodies. While some look solemn, like they would rather be _anywhere _but here, others look fine, actually pleased to meet me. Especially another blond, with unruly, wavy hair that sticks up in most directions, with sharp, blue eyes, as he looks _way _too happy for my liking. But, Zero is right beside me, gently squeezing my arm, so I start to relax.

He whispers in my ear, "Play cool, Yuuki. They won't hurt you, but they won't like you if you're weak." He scoffs "And you're most definitely_ not_ weak." He looks right down "there", and quickly reminds me of the time when I had….urm…let's just say,he won't be having children for a while. I mean, it's not like I forgot. It was like, two hours ago. But still, I can't help but giggle. Forgot to mention, but Zero had also cured my bullet wound.

And yes.

The same way.

Medicine is a wonderful thing.

"Okay!" Zero snaps, and it breaks me out of my daze. Hmm, cranky much? Or is he always like this? "This is Yuuki Cross, the princess of Cross Kingdom." A little gasps, but most don't seem surprised. "She is going to reside with us for a while…"

He doesn't get to finish his sentence, when a girl with long, wavy hair, colored like the sand on a beach, and beautiful brown eyes, wearing a long, lavish pink dress speaks up. "Excuse me? You never told us a _princess_ was going to stay with us! You said a 'girl'. Period. I will _not_ agree to having royalty '_reside with us'_." She says the word _princess _with distain, and I can't help but slightly glare at her. But, for some, odd reason, I kind of like her. I hardly know why. She seems like a nice girl…ish, and I get a good vibe from her, that's she's doing this to protect her friends. And I will gain her friendship, even if it forces me to leave the building.

It's my turn to speak. Maybe I can flip the situation around. "I promise you, I did _not _ask for this. The least I want to do is to trouble you," I thrust my arm out, and roll it to one side, indicating everyone in the room. "And if you don't want me to reside here, I will leave. There _must _be civilization somewhere…" I stop midsentence when I see the girl smile; a true, honest smile. She steps forward.

"Hi. I'm Ruka Souen." She sticks out her hand. I stare at it, wondering what the heck just happened with her attitude. She notices my staring, and chuckles. "Don't worry. I just wanted to see how you would react." I give her a puzzled look. "I mean," she says hastily, "I wanted to see whether you're one of those stuck up girls."

I laugh. "Of course not!" I can't believe it. "I dislike those girls as much as you do! Gosh, I _hate _those stereotypes…" A pause "Though, there usually true…" My eyes dance merrily, hinting that it was a joke. More people than I expect laugh, and I feel myself becoming relaxed, even when Zero's hand moves of my shoulder, and even more when he turns around, and though he doesn't smile, his eyes do.

Well, hmm. But still, progress!

His face switches almost automatically.

"Settle down, people!" Zero yells. His voice is so powerful, but smooth at the same time. Something tells me he's the leader of this group. "Let's commence…"

"Oh, commence. Big word!" I mock. I can't help but giggle at the look on Zero's face, one mixed with disbelief and exasperation, and many people in the room giggle along with me.

Zero veers at me, but I see him biting his lip, trying not to smile. He continues. "Lets _get back" _I pout. "to the introductions!"

The boy I was talking about, the "sun of the room" steps forward. He looks friendly enough, but just to be sure, I very faintly whisper a Word of Beyond, and ask that I don't glow for the spell. My wish is granted, though it takes up more magic (which is why I hardly use it), and no one notices that I just cast a spell. Well…except for Zero, who now is glaring daggers at me. I turn to him, and give him my most innocent look, pouting my lips a little on the bottom. His eyes soften, and he turns away, a small frown planted on his face, and I smile with triumph, then look back to the other boy.

The Word of Beyond is a rather complicated spell. It allows me to see beyond the mask of emotions people put up, as well as let me see truly what a person is like. It also let's me sense a person's aura, or mood, corresponding different colors with different emotions, though it won't tell me species, gender, etc.

He speaks. His voice is friendly and soft. "Hello! I'm Takuma Ichijo. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance!" I look past his friendly demeanor, and see what he's really like. Calm, and cool, but upbeat and loyal. Though, at some times, he seems to be deadly serious. His aura is bright yellow (Happy) and light purple (Loyal), with a tinge of gray (Seriousness).

I think I can like him easily, without little effort, and he seems to be quite happy upon meeting me, so I smile back, saying "Thank you!"

"Ahem." I turn my head to the left, where I see that boy with the messy hair, and sharp blue eyes. He's wearing a white tuxedo, looking to impress, and he makes me feel shabby, in just the plain shirt and jeans I'm wearing. (I had to opportunity to change out of the nightgown I was wearing.) He smirks, and it's his turn to step forward towards me. He reaches for my hand, with speed unnatural of a human, and grabs it. I see no polite way of withdrawing, so I just smile, and wait for him to release me.

Only, he doesn't, and still holding it, plants a gentle kiss on the back of my hand. He still doesn't let go, even when he introduces himself. "I'm Hanabusa Aido. But you may call me…_Idol!" _he exclaims. I roll my eyes, and look inside of him. He seems to be very lively, and extremely mischievous, as well as arrogant, and a complete ladies man. But he has a softer side. He's extremely loyal; to who, I wonder, and very protective of the one's he holds dear. His aura and mood right now is bright yellow, and a bit of orange (Mischief), which makes me a bit apprehensive. Still, I think I could trust him like I could trust Takuma.

"T-thank you, but I'll stick to Aido." I stutter, as Aido still hasn't let go of my hand. I start to struggle a bit, bringing my hand back to me, but he won't let go. It's only when I feel my hand starting to freeze, do I shoot a wary look at Zero. He comes forward, and rips my hand from Aido's. I seem him fall to the floor, and I shoot Aido a sympathetic look, mouthing sorry. He responds with a glare of his own. Even when he stands, he doesn't stop veering at me.

Shoot.

I guess I lost an ally, and it wasn't even my fault.

I turn my attention to the group of people, trying to ignore the metaphorical daggers digging slowly into my back by a blond headed boy.

Another person steps out. He's quite tall, I bet even taller than Zero, and that was really saying something. He has unruly hair, like Aido's, but not so thick, and his hair was orange. "I'm Akatsuki Kain, but Kain or Akatsuki is just fine." He pauses for a bit, trying to remember something. Then, "Oh, and I'm also Aido's cousin." I gasp in surprise. No way. It couldn't be, could it? Aido, he was, well, it seemed he was royalty, with his fancy clothes, and his fancy up-until-you-wouldn't-let-go-of-my-hand greeting, even though his attitude needed working on, while Kain's black shirt is open, and the bottom of it is ripped. He's wearing casual jeans, and looks pretty relaxed. I sigh, and before I judge him more, I look inside him, as I had the other two.

He's calm, mature and logical; always steps up and will speak for himself when needed and for the sake of other people. He's very protective of the one's he likes. His mood is bright green (Interest), and he smiles faintly at me. I shoot him one of my best smiles, and he seems enthusiastic enough about meeting me, but as he turns his head, and he catches sight of Aido flirting with Ruka, his interest is thrown out the window, as well as his common sense, as dark green (Envy and Jealousy), and a vivid red (Anger) take the bright green's place. He stomps over to them, and sharply pulls Aido away from Ruka. Now, he slings an arm over Aido's shoulder, and walks away, with a screaming Aido in tow, him chuckling quite darkly. I laugh at their antics, but I can't help but feel sorry for Aido, even though he _is _in the wrong.

Two people come forward now. A girl, with strikingly beautiful blue eyes, and medium length, orange-blond straight hair, tied in two ponytails, wearing a stylish t-shirt, with a heart with wings, tied up in chains, and a sword stabbed through it, and a nice, navy blue mini skirt, holding an umbrella, which completed the cute look, and a boy, who has messy red-brown hair, that stuck up in spikes, and came down in front of his ears, and very light blue eyes. He was wearing a white leather jacket, with buttons and lacerations down the middle, and a black shirt underneath, with faded and ripped jeans. Their looks alone help me a quite a bit to tell, but once I saw what they are wearing, it was obvious who they are.

"You're Rima Touya and Senri Shiki, aren't you?" I exclaim. I can't believe it! What are these famous models doing here?

"In the flesh." Rima replies. She has a smooth, silky voice, just how I imagined.

"But you may call us Rima and Shiki." Shiki says nonchalantly. Both seem pretty uninterested, but I look inside them, to see a rather big shock. Both auras are bright green, and a tinge of pink (Love). The bright green is obviously for me, but the pink…?

No way.

No way in hell.

But, it's true!

They like each other! I embrace my inner princess, and squeal a bit at the thought. Though, they don't really know that their love is requited. I can't help but giggle like a schoolgirl. Zero looks at me warily, and I shoot back a wide, almost maniacal smile. He takes a step back, looking a bit startled, before he shakes his head, and chuckles. His laugh is so sexy, that I almost forget the two characters in front of me. My thoughts quickly revert back to Rima and Shiki, before I could blush. A classic love story. But I thought that only happened in fairytales…

Anyway, I evaluate their personalities. Easily bored, and very quiet. Can be extremely loving, though, and both spunky and sassy. They're perfect for each other! But, after much struggle and self-conflict, I avoid the potential love story, and focus on more important things in hand.

"What happened? Why are you here, and not in the light of stardom?" I enquire. I'd like to ask that to myself.

Shiki shrugs. "Kaname." Hmm… not even a honorific.

"Excuse me, if you don't mind me asking…" I look at them for the approval. Rima nods. "What happened?"

Rima starts." Well, it all started…"

She doesn't get to finish to finish her first sentence, as the windows crack, and break, people flying through them. The shady characters summersault on the floor, before coming to a stop, and then stand. Their eyes roam the room, looking at every person. Their stop menacingly on me, and one by one, all smirk.

"Shit…" I whisper. "Dispel…" I turn off my Word of Beyond, and face the intruders in front.

"Yuuki Cross, I suppose" A burly man asks. He has a beard. Ew.

I snort. "Possibly. And who the hell are you, might I ask?" I snap.

"The police." He flips out a badge, printed on paper, showing it off to me. "And you better come with us, or you _will regret it._" He emphasizes the paper in front of me, shaking it at me.

Ha-ha. Play time, and hopefully a battle, if I can piss them off enough. Oh well, lets see.

"Ooh, scary!" I mock, feigning fear. My voice switches automatically, to one of a deeper tone. "A piece of paper, huh? What's the worst you could do?" My voice switches again, into that of a scared girl. "Oh no!" I turn to my newly acquired comrades. "Paper cuts!" My acquaintances outright laugh, and the "police officers" start to get annoyed. I turn slowly back to them, a smirk planted on my face.

Oh, this is _too_ fun.

One speaks. "We have plenty of more people behind us…"

I cut him off. "You mean, if we're looking for a beating, you out-number us, so you'll win? Well… " I speak a Word of Power, my power starting to spiral, and summon electricity and energy in one hand, and a mini tornado in the other, holding it up, for them to see. "Try it, scum."

Once I hear the gasps behind me, I know I made a mistake. I whip around, and face the people in the room.

"I'm sorry. I forgot to tell you, but…" I pause, waiting to see their reactions. For most, surprise is written all over their face, save for a couple individuals, and Zero, who has witnessed my powers firsthand. "…I basically wield every single magical power that this world has seen and some that haven't been discovered." I say it all in one breath, and then shrug. Rima chuckles, and steps forward, protecting my right side. I turn around, to face the "police".

"Electricity, huh." She speaks to me, and smirks, but not towards me, rather, to Shiki, who glares at her. He steps forward, protecting my left.

"Ah…" he says. "The blood whip is cooler anyway."

I'm about to question what he means, but I stop, as I watch in awe as he bites his pointer finger with his oddly sharp teeth on the right hand. He bleeds a bit, and whips his hand upward, pointer finger out. I gasp, as the blood from his finger forms into a whip. He puts his hand down, his blood spiraling around his arm in thin little strips, and he points it to Rima.

"See." He smirks faintly, at her and me.

"B-but how?" I start to hyperventilate. "How is it that…w-why are you… i-it isn't p-possible that…"

"Yuuki?" Shiki says my name. I turn up to look at him. "We have enemies to face."

"But…" I try again.

"Excuse me…" one impatient officer mutters.

"Hah. Just wait a moment." Rima chuckles towards him. It's her turn to stick out her hand. Her smile turns to a concentrated stare, until she closes her eyes all together. Her arm almost immediately starts to glow, a pale cyan shade, and in a couple of moments, starts to crackle. When she opens her eyes, the florescent light moves to her hand, and joins into a big, concentrated ball of electricity.

And the best part is, it makes _mine_, including energy and the Word of Power, look a lot shabbier.

Again, I widen my eyes, and whip my head between the two characters. They seem pretty amused themselves, as I can clearly see it dancing in their eyes. But they're not the only ones.

"Haha." Someone laughs from behind me. Zero steps forward, and comes in front of me. "You look surprised." He drawls. I reach on my tippy-toes, and smack him on the head. "Ow, hey!" he snaps.

I am annoyed.

"Humph. Why didn't you tell me? You could've at least saved me the shock!" I sigh and shake my head. Some people… "Come on." I gesture to the 'officers.' "Seems to be about forty of them. And they said they have reinforcements…"

Suddenly, Kain and Aido rush into the room, having heard the crash caused by our foes crashing through the windows. They spend a bit of time evaluating the situation, then…

"Wha…!"Aido practically shrieks. "Why must this _always _happen when I'm gone…I want to fight too!" As he looks over to me, and notices my hand, I see his mouth drop to the floor. Metaphorically, of course. "The brat! She a sorcerer? Why doesn't anyone tell me this?" he blubbers.

"Um…Aido?" I speak carefully. He seems to be a bit unstable now, so I feel like I have to talk to him like he's a deck of cards; one blow from caving in. " I wanted to tell, you but…" I stop. "Wait! We have more important things to handle right now!"

He still seems to ignore me, still, so I decide to ignore him back, and turn back, _again_, to the officers. "Seems like that's the last time. May we commence?"

The first group of enemies had spilt up, while we were talking, giving us around 5-8 enemies each. All of the mini groups charge forward. Immediately, Shiki whips his hand out, and lashes the blood whip at a couple of people, then jumps, twirling the whip around his body, then uncurls it, striking a few more opponents. He hits dead on, and I'm surprised when the ground crumbles under the attack. Rima as well, starts to attack. She jumps us, and unwraps her umbrella. Floating down softly, the holds out her hand, and shoots the electricity in small bullets, electrocuting anyone who got in her way, as well as flipping to avoid the bullets of her enemies. I quickly conclude…

They're amazing.

Facing my own cattle, I jump in the air, as someone tries to shoot me, and land behind him. I touch his neck softly with my hand, and jump out of the way, as my mini tornado is released. It grows, larger and larger, until it's bigger than the man. I move my hand, to steer the whirlwind, and direct it towards my group. I'm satisfied, as I hear the men's screams trickle out, over the noise of the tornado.

"How long will this follow us?" one yells.

I smirk, and reply simply, "To the ends of hell." I close my eyes, and yell, "Release!" The tornado now moves on it's own, and I sigh in satisfaction as it falls out the window, carrying around three enemies with it. I walk towards the window, and look down. "Ooh. Steep drop."

I hear exaggerated screams. "How _dare _you do that to our comrades!" I chuckle, and jump backwards to avoid a slice at my back. Taking my electric charged hand, I turn towards the attacker, and smack him viciously on the face, the noise echoing through the room. I hear a sickening crack, as his cheekbones shatter, and watch him fly into a wall, hitting a few more people on the way, thanks to my Word of Power, all while wiping my hands on my pants, to rid of his blood.

Done with them, I hear a cry of help, and turn to see Ruka on the floor, bleeding alarmingly, getting ganged up by her group of officers. There's about seven. I look for Kain, maybe near by, so he could help her (He seems to care for her quite a bit.), but once I see him on the opposite side of the room, dancing with flames, obviously having fun, _I _decide to help her.

They're about to strike her, all with swords and I interlude quickly, stopping around four out of seven with my hands. Two are too shocked to move, but one isn't. He thrusts his weapon quickly, and his sword pierces my left shoulder. I cry out a bit, and release the men I had earlier grabbed. As I see all of them shape up to attack me, I quickly pull out the sword, and holler a Word of Speed. Hastily, I touch the floor, and scream, "The Art of Extreme Summoning! I call Earth!"

Instantaneously, vines are pulled through from the ground, and trap all seven of the officers, intertwining their legs, arms, body, and whatnot. The spikes on the vines cut into their bodies, causing blood to slowly leak down, joining in a puddle on the floor. My eyes flash furiously, and I talk sharply and precise, biting out the words. "You _cowards_!" I thrust my right arm out, palm outstretched, as my other hand hanging limply to my side, dripping blood down my arm, and to my hand. As I talk, I slowly start to close my fist, and the vine's grip becomes tighter the closer my fingers get to my palm. "How _dare _you do that to her? How many people does it take to kill one person?" My voice is shrill. I'm about to close my fist, to end their worthless existence once and for all, but I feel a gentle hand on my shoulder. I uncurl my almost closed fist, and look behind me, to see Ruka smiling. I'm about to voice a word of complaint for being stopped, but she cuts me off, her next words surprising me, to the point of not being able to talk.

"Let me do it."

I smirk. (When had I stopped smiling like a normal person?) "Of course." I snap my fingers, and the vines unravel from the bodies. Some of them drop limply to their knees, some just face plant on the floor. Ruka closes her eyes, and holds out her hands. Almost immediately, the men on the floor stand up, and turn towards each other. Taking out guns, each of them reloads, turns, and shoots each other. I can't help myself, I gasp, and take a step back. All fall on the floor…

Dead.

"Oh my gosh, Ruka! How did you do that?" I question hastily, as more officers come and attack.

"Eh, manipulation through illusions." Some one tries to slash her, but she recoils, and dashes forwards, and cuts his neck with her hands. "But it takes a lot of concentration, which is why I had almost gotten killed." I capture a man's head in my legs, and snap his neck, then flip, and slam his head on the ground. I feel pain burn down my arm, then instinctively grab my left shoulder, where the man had pierced earlier. "Ah." Ruka suggests. "Let me tend to that."

"Heh. Just wait a moment." I gasp out. The blood loss was making me dizzy. "I only have enough magic for one or two spells. The Extreme Summoning really kills your magic." I laugh a bit, then kneel on the floor. Again, I touch the floor with my palm. "Barrier!"

A green circle envelops our feet, and soon spreads to cover the rest of our bodies. Ruka's about to start, but I stop her, as I get a sudden thought, and I gasp.

"Are you going to lick my wound?" I blurt. I then realize I had sounded _way_ to eager.

"Wha…? No, of course not!" She pauses. "Why? Has someone already have?"

I blush madly. "Y-yeah. Zero, on my neck and thigh."

Ruka face contorts into shock, then…

She outright laughs. Her laughs echo on and on, seemingly never to stop, and she bends down to slap her knees. I never would tell this to her, but when her laughs became silent, and she started to clap her hands, she looked like a seal.

But eventually, her laughs slow down to inconsistent giggles, and finally, a mere chuckle. "Haha! That Zero…! He's…a… " She starts up again, and I breathe out impatiently, waiting for her to stop. She speaks, trying to control her laughter. "I'm…haha! I'm…sorry. It's just, I would have never expected him to do that!"

I groan in pain. "It's alright…just would you…please…heal me?" I mutter.

Ruka gasps. "Right! I'm sorry, I forgot!" Her face, once littered with smug amusement, is now dead serious. She licks her pointer finger, and says softly, "This may hurt a bit." I knew. I close my eyes, as her finger touches my wound, then saliva going into the raw skin and muscle. I hiss in pain, as my skin and muscle is melded together, joining perfectly, not even leaving a mark of the wound before.

"Doesn't matter how many times this happens…" I flex my arm out, enjoying the ability to move it.

"Shall we split up now?" I inquire.

"Lets." Ruka replies.

I flip out my Artemis rod, and whisper, "Artemis, a scythe again, please?"

When I throw up my rod, I hear someone running towards me. I turn sharply, and see that the jerk that's running at me has his sword drawn. I needed my weapon, but I forget that Artemis was falling when I had turned. I'm too surprised to react, and Artemis, a fully transformed scythe, falls on the floor, its clanks on the tiles like thunder to my ears. It's now knocked around two meters away from me, and the man attacking me is surprisingly quick. I have nothing to defend myself with, and he throws his sword down. I shut my eyes, waiting for the pain to invade my body.

"Yuuki!"

Blood is soon all over my front, staining my white t-shirt and jeans with its almost elegant ruby.

But, _I'm_ not hurt.

Apprehensively, I start to open my eyes. When I opened them far enough to see, my eyelids shoot up the rest of the way, as a see a blood stained Zero standing in front of me, his hand pierced through my attacker's chest. I calm down, and blink, as I start to wipe the blood off my clothes. Zero looks startled, well, no, just mildly surprised that I hadn't screamed. When I'm done cleaning myself the best I can, I look up, to see his startled look transformed into one of fierce anger.

He hollers. " What the heck is wrong with you? You _never _give your back to an opponent!" I grimace. "Sheesh! Even in the first battle, your nothing but a _nuisance_!" I can't help but flinch and back away slowly; actually scared of him, like I was the first time we met. He doesn't seem to notice, and stomps away, as I try and try to scream an apology.

The words don't come out.


	3. Their Fleeting Secrets

**Hey everyone! I'm here with another update of The Cross Princess! I really hope you enjoy the story, you know!**

**9 reviews. For two chapters.**

**I love you all! Really, if it wasn't for the reviews, then I wouldn't even _continue _the story!**

**Well, you know, lets go on with the usual.**

**Vampire Knight, and all of it's absolutely sexy characters do not belong to me.**

** PLEASE REVIEW! For the love of god, PLEASE!**

**Heehee, no, just kidding. review if you like, and criticism is welcome, but flames will be extinguished by my cold shoulder.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>I stand still, in the middle of the battlefield, not moving a muscle, not uttering a word. Screams of agony echo around me, and gleeful cheers resonate at nearly the same time, the mixture of cries, an elegant harmony. The wind, coming from the broken windows whips around my face, tousling my long hair to and fro around my body, as well as scattering the shards of glass from the windows. The moonlight shines through beautifully, and highlights my features artistically, while blood was splattered all over my body, drenching my white t-shirt, until it looked like it was originally ruby, and held my hair together carelessly, with its messy, now dried, brownish-red clumps. With Artemis recovered, in its majestic scythe transformation, now slung over my back, I look like a full-fledged demon. But, even with all this commotion, all these battle cries, and the attacks being exchanged between the two parties, flying within millimeters of my body, only <em>one<em> thing was going on in my head.

"_Even in your first battle, you're nothing but a nuisance!"_

The memory plays in my head countless times, and no matter how many times I recall it, it still sends a pang of hurt down my body. I try to rid myself of it, the pain, and the memory; I try to tell myself…no, _convince_ myself that Zero was just acting on instinct. I stand there for minutes and hope, that on a fleeting chance, he might come back, and apologize. He doesn't even have to say anything. An apologetic smile...no, look? Maybe just a twist of his head? Something that hints that he feels at least the tiniest guilty. Seconds, and minutes, and he still does not come.

But, hell, why do I even care? I hardly know him! Sure, he was nice enough to heal my bruises after I tried to kill him (though he _had _made the damage himself), and I definitely _don't_ want to forget how he almost smiled at me, even sometimes letting a grin crack through, but I only really knew the man for, what…six hours? Besides, he seems like the type to not open up to any one. In fact, why he had even _answered _the questions that I threw at him when I first met him, is a mystery.

No. The reason why it hurts…now that's a mystery to me, to be honest. Is it _really _hurt? Is this tightness in my chest or the tears forming, already on the brink of falling; are these all symptoms of hurt, of emotional pain? Or is it just fear? Could be. After all, that was one of the first times I had _ever_ let the fear in my eyes show. Even though, I don't think Zero picked up on it, I _was _scared of him, and I still _am_.

Some shouts wake me up from my constant worrying, and I perk my head up, grasping the information being thrown across the room. At first, I thought it was serious, but the hollers are soon morphed into cries of joy, and laughs of glee, and as the next words are soon out, I cheer along with them, my anguish soon evaporated into thin air.

"It's done! They're retreating!" Aido shouts out. More cries echo out along with his, and I turn and see the rest of the officers jumping through the window, carrying wounded comrades, though I don't think most have a chance of living. One by one, they send us glares, then leap, screaming the rest of the ay down. The last one, before he jumps out, turns to me, his eyes piercing mine.

He bites out. "Don't think this is the last you will see of us." I grit my teeth together, dread what comes next. "Prince Kaname _will _be informed of your atrocities! And you all will face the consequences!" With maniacal laughter, he jumps out the window, an eerie silence, and a soft thump following shortly after.

I glance around the room, taking in the broken furniture, the blood on the floor, and the fallen comrades, who had died for me. And regardless if they fought or not, now...now all of these people were wanted for treason, to be hunted, and brought in, dead or alive. Most of them are wounded heavily from this battle, some faces twisted in pain, some resisting the urge to scream from invading bullets, and deep sword wound. And now, all of them will be hunted. And maybe found. And if found, then killed. Reality doesn't come through to me often, and neither does common sense. But when they do, they me hit hard. I realize after, this…

This whole battle, the cause of blood being shed, the look of agony on some people's faces…this was _my _fault. And now, because of my carelessness, people, _innocent_ people, were hurt, and _innocent_ people were dragged into my problem.

Exactly what I had tried to stop from happening. Exactly the reason why I had first opposed of staying here, and now, my biggest fears are coming true...

And I've got to do something about it.

"Well…what was _that _all about?" Rima replies. She shakes her head, looking quite bored. "Damn. No more action."

"As long as I'm here, I don't think you have to worry about your lack of action." I knot my eyebrows together, and look down to the floor, ashamed. The group of people slowly start to come around me, forming a circle, trying to hear what I say. I speak up, because my next words are important. "After all, they only came here for me." I sigh, and look up, searching for Zero. He deserves my next words, as they should be one of my last to him, and I only wish he's present to hear them. "And after all…" _'Even in your first battle, you're nothing but a nuisance!'; _"I'm nothing but a nuisance." I smile bitterly, as I locate Zero, behind the group of people, leaning on the wall, listening intently. As I spoke the words, the words he knows I took from his earlier confrontation, his eyes widen for a split second, then close, into thin little slits. He starts forward, to break through the crowd, pushing and shoving people let and right. My breath hitches in my throat, as he's trying to get close to me, but I would never let him.

I speak my last sentence as more as a hurried cluster of words, and plan my retreat from Zero. Ah…there's a nice hallway to run down. "So don't be surprised if you wake up tomorrow, and you find me gone!" I finish my sentence just as Zero reaches me, and swiftly jump over him, and the group of people. As soon as I hit the ground, I start running towards my escape route. But…if I run… if I escape, why _am _I fleeing, and what I will be running away from? The answer is obvious.

I'm running away from these kind people, who accepted me in a mere moment. I'm running away from the first source of undying warmth I've found in this desolate world, and I'm running away from Zero…would I count him in this list, Ruka, Rima, Shiki, (I haven't found out _why _they're here yet, and probably never will…) Aido, Kain, Takuma, and more. But, I try to let the wave of sadness crashing into me only enhance my speed, as I could only show weakness when I'm not in their presence.

I hear the panicked voices, I hear the gasps, and the mutters of shock, as I flee, as I run away from _them_, and I let my heart flutter a bit. Because they care. About me.

But, only one noise sounds the loudest in my ears, and at this moment, I'm terrified of the noise.

Footsteps.

Now, if Zero comes after me, I'd understand. I mean, I'm leaving him, and my last words were those that I would hope to haunt him for a while, then of course he would come. But, I hear more than one pair of feet. I hear at least _four_. And no magic.

Well hell.

Déjà vu, much?

Stupid, hopeless situations are the only thing that I seem to attract these days!

"Yuuki!" I hear Ruka shout out. Her pleading tone almost stopped me dead in my tracks, but I forced myself to continue. "Why? We were having such a good time… without the me-almost-dying thing. But, that's not the point. You can even stand us for a day? Why are you running away now?"

They think that I can't stand them? Where did they get _that _from_?_ I have to fix this. "I promise you, I _wish _I could stay, and get to know all of you...but," I gasp, as I'm running out of air, and talking isn't help either. "I'd be putting you in danger. And I hardly know you! I do not want you to die in my place!" We round a corner, and I see a flight of stairs. Great. As we reach the stairs, I skip the first couple of steps, as I rush down the first flight, and as I reach the end of the flight, a rather large platform, which allowed plenty of room to run amok, I allow myself to look back.

Oh my gosh.

You know how I said around four?

No, instead, I'm being chased by Aido, surprisingly enough, Ruka, Rima, Shiki, Kain, Takuma, and Zero, of course.

"Holy crap! Way to hunt a rabbit with a cannon!" I scream. My mild hesitation, seeing the rather illustrious assemblage, cost me a bit of my lead, I realize, but I press on.

"Please stop!" Zero's voice echoes out, and blends with the sound of our footsteps, but unfortunately for him, I heard the words perfectly.

"For _you_, I'm afraid not." I bite out. Surely, he hadn't forgotten that he screamed at me, not even ten minutes ago, for something that wasn't even my fault. "For the rest of them…" I motion my head back, to refer to the people with him. "…for _their_ sakes, I cannot!" We continue our game of cat and mouse, and I start to gain leverage against them, my lead soon gaining distance. I'm getting really tired by now, and I haven't even made it down the stairs. But, I need to escape. I can't hurt these people anymore!

As I'm nearing my fourth flight, Rima suddenly drops in front of me, and closes her umbrella, which she used as a floatation device. Stretching her arms in front of me, she tries to block my escape. I gasp, and struggle against her block, seeing the rest of the group nearing. As time becomes more of an issue, I gain the adrenaline I need, and finally break through her blockade. Goddamn it, she has the strength of a weight lifter!

Just as I start to take off again, and finally reach the end of the fourth flight, a whip is curled around my arms, wrists, waist, and legs, halting my retreat completely. I whip my head up, and see Shiki on the stair rail, one leg on top of the other, and pointer finger stretched out towards me, a thin line of blood protruding around it. I shoot him a death glare, and he responds with a smirk. Once again, I struggle against my bonds, but they're tough, like iron. Pretty annoyed, I take the whip with both of my hands, and snap it in half, freeing myself from Shiki's bonds. I turn to him again, except now I'm the one smirking. He again, smiles back, and I peer behind his head to see where the rest of the group is. As I see them only a couple of steps away, I gasp in remorse, turn around to try to run again.

Only now, my feet are frozen to the floor.

And yes.

Literally.

I finally snapped. "What is this?" I scream. "Am I not allowed to run away, even for your sakes? Can I not write out my life, the way I want to? If I want to die alone, then so it shall be! You have no right to interfere!" I try to shatter the ice, as I have no magic to burn it with, but my efforts prove to be futile. I start to freak, as the rest of group now is one flight away from me.

"Now, that's where you're wrong." Shiki states. He jumps of the stair rail, and comes forward. When he's come close enough for our arms to touch, he grabs both of them, and ties my hands together with his whip, all while smirking at me. Does he think this is some kind of game...?

"Me? Wrong?" I spat. "About my own life, you believe you know it better? It is my decision to-"

"We know, we know, 'to die alone', "Kain comes too close for my comfort, and talks to me in a "matter of fact" tone "But it's _our_ decision to help you, and I'm sorry, but your 'Princess Veto Power' doesn't work here." He flicks my nose, to further his point. I snarl, and try to smack him, a tough feat when your hands are bound. I hear Shiki mutter something like 'This is why I had bound her up'. Seeing how ineffective my whacks are, I stop thrashing, more the most part, but no sooner do I stop trying to break free, I finally wrap my head around the words that were spoken, and I realize what Kain means. My eyes widen.

"_But it's our decision to help you."_

My acquaintances have already accepted the fate of which they have been bound to unintentionally.

They've accepted the fangs of my destiny, which have already pierced through them, but they still want me here, with them.

They're fine with the fact that they betrayed the kingdom, and only for a little girl, who happens to be the princess.

They, to put it in short terms, have accepted _me_, and all the consequences that come with it.

My eyes start to water, the tears already on the verge of falling. Why me? Why in the God's name, have they come after me, even after all the problems that would ensure them, if they were to take me in. I speak, holding on to the sobs, which are ready to explode. "W-why would you h-help me? I…I don't u-understand? I h-hardly k-now you and n-now you're going t-to d-die! F-for m-me!" I let the first tears fall, and try futilely to wipe it, with my hands bound together and all. I no longer speak, instead I sob, hiccupping through my cries, and the tears don't stop flowing. Cascading down my face, every tear seems like a waterfall.

"Well, we won't die that easily." Ruka saunters down the final steps, and comes face to face with me, a smile gracing her slightly flushed face. "And, even though we just met, I've already taken a rather large liking towards you." She moves her hand to my cheek, and wipes away some of the tears, new one taking their place instantly. She pouts, as soon as they fall. "And even if we do get killed, it's our decision to die together, isn't it?" She moves her hands to my shoulders, and squeezes gently. Her hands still grip my shoulder as she yells. "Oi! Shiki! Dispel your whip, eh?"

I can't help as I smile breaks through my tears, as the salty concoction falls into my mouth, never to be seen again. My hands are soon free from their captivity, and I clap them together, yet again happy for being able to move. Well…sort of.

"Um, Ruka…?" I speak softly, my tears had slowed, but I was still conflicting whether or not I should stay here. "My feet…"

"Oh, right!" She lets go of my shoulders completely, and mentions for Shiki and Kain to step away from me. They relent, and take a few steps back. She screams rather loud, and I discover myself concealing my ears from the rather harsh racket. "Oi! Aido! Get your lazy ass down here, and free our princess!" I smile at the '_our_' part. She stomps her foot, like it would do something about her lackadaisical comrade, and breathes sharply through her nose. Soon enough, he loiters down to my level, and smirks at me. Even on my flight, he's a couple of heads higher than me, and he uses his height to his advantage. Pressing close to my trapped body, he sneers down at me, clearly enjoying my helplessness. I blush heavily, and try to shove him off of me. He chuckles.

"Aww, do we have to let her go _now? _I would much rather her bound and tied up. It's easier to punish her that way." Wha…?

"Excuse me…? Punishment? Oho, just wait 'till these restraints come off…!" I glare at him, my eyes fearless, but I smile as well, as I would hate to have his attitude dismissed towards me, out of pity. I'm just happy he still has it, as well as his playful behavior. But still, I do have my personal bubble, and I don't like it to be popped by the sharpness of his body, and coldness of his words. I shove him firmly off of me, and command. "Now, free my legs. "

"Tsk…Fine." Aido snaps his fingers, and my the ice around my legs starts to crack. Soon, after much special effect, the frozen water is turned to mist, weaving through and around my limbs. Now, as being able to move, I automatically jump, and tackle Ruka, Rima, Shiki, Kain, and even Aido, in a bear hug. Squeezing tightly, I laugh, and enjoy the warmth their bodies possessed, as well as the warmth, which is bubbling inside of my body. So this is what it feels like…to have friends. Ruka automatically hugs me back, crushing the group closer.

I giggle, as I see Shiki and Rima's eyes widen, but they don't back away. Instead, the chuckle along with me, and to my surprise, wrap their arms around me as well, though not as tight as Ruka. Kain and Aido jump out of my grasp impulsively, (Pity. I wanted to crush Aido some more.) but the smiles on their faces still remain. Eventually, Rima flees from my embrace, Shiki following after, and it's only Ruka and I. I nuzzle my head into her shoulder for a while, resting there, and she pats it quite awkwardly. I lift it up, to save her the embarrassment, and move my hands from her upper back, to her shoulders, while she does the same, us beaming at each other.

"No matter who follows you…" Ruka speaks softly, and I find myself craning my neck closer to her to hear. "No matter how many enemies come to attack you…" she squeezes my shoulders, harder than the first time, "And no matter how long we've known you…we'll always be here for you, so don't run away." Again, she wipes of the rest of my tears, and lets go.

"I…I don't think I will…" I say hesitantly. "I believe I have come to like it here." I beam at her, and she smiles back. The then grasps my head in both her hands, and turns it in the direction of the stairs, which would take us upwards.

"Now…I believe you have some…er, _business_ to take care of, eh?" She motions to Zero and Takuma, who were walking down the stairs, until they reached our flight. No, no. I don't think so.

"Hmm…not now. I want to see how this will play out." A tilt from Ruka's head shows me that I had to clarify. I walk up to her, and whisper in her ear, as so no one would hear. "He deserves this, I promise you." I smile wickedly, and chuckle a bit. "I wonder how he long he can stand me ignoring him before he's _forced _to apologize…" I move away from her ear, and I meet an equally malevolent smirk on Ruka's normally pleasant face.

"Haha, I look forward to this. How about we _do _see how this will play out…" She pats me on the shoulder. "Go get him!"

I smile at her a final time, and we begin to walk across the platform, and to the stairs, Shiki, Rima, Aido, and Kain following behind. As we near the first step, to go up the third flight, Zero and Takuma notice that we've gotten nearer. Zero automatically tries to speak to me.

"Yuuki, I-"

"Why, hello Takuma!" I declare, rather cheerfully. I hear a 'Wha…?' blurt out from Zero, who was beside me, and hold in a giggle. I continue my small talk with Takuma, though he hadn't replied yet. "Don't worry. I've decided to stay, okay. Just, don't put a lock on my bedroom, hmm?" I giggle, and start to walk up the stairs before Takuma had time to reply, completely ignoring Zero, and what he had to say to me before. Ruka walks up as well, but not before a smile towards Takuma, and a veer at Zero.

"Good. Now don't look back." She informs. I nod.

"With pleasure." I snort. Rima and Shiki follow up, and come to walk besides me. They both give a questioning tilt of their heads (Gosh, they really _are _perfect for each other!), and beckon me to explain. I giggle. "No, no. Not yet. I'll inform you when we're alone." I throw my head back, to mention Aido, Kain, Takuma, but mostly Zero. When we reach to the top of the second flight, and make our way on to the platform, I look back, already breaking the rule which Ruka had set for me, and see Zero and the others following. When I take a good look at Zero, I can't help, but burst into laughter, at the look of pure exasperation and confusion written all over his face, only thinking that he deserved it.

* * *

><p>I laugh along at a joke, which Aido had said, as he, and a lot of other people laugh along with me. We now are walking down an ample hallway, littered with decoration, and lacerations, though I have no idea where we we're going. If I had asked anyone, they said it was a surprise. Hmm, best thing about surprises, is unraveling the mystery inside.<p>

When I had finally calmed down from my earlier giggles, Ruka speaks to me. "Gosh, Yuuki! Your laugh is so contagious!" She says, through her giggles. She laughs a bit more, then snorts. I find myself bursting into laughter all over again, seemingly never to stop, until I had to stop walking because my sides hurt, as I resort to bending down, and clutching my hips. Ruka and Aido also laugh at my current condition, Ruka actually bending down with me, and Kain and Takuma was, who were walking near us a moment ago, also stop to smile, quite amused at our antics.

I gasp out. "Haha…Ruka…you…haha…you _snorted!_" I laugh even harder, the giggles racking my body, as I also start slapping my legs, something about the topic being extremely humorous.

Rima and Shiki walk past us, muttering something about being helpless creatures. I know they were laughing on the inside, though, because their eyes were dancing with amusement and humor, and it only caused my to smile wider, not out of humor, but out of pure joy. Man, thing could not get better, as I laughed even harder, again, out of glee.

"What's so funny?" My laughter dies the moment I hear _his _voice resonate to me. I let go of my sides, and uncurl myself. I sharply turn away from Zero, and speak to Ruka, quite mirthfully, completely contrasting my brisk movements. "Come on Ruka. Lets go catch up with the others."

"Aye." She replies. "Come on Aido. Were moving on ahead. The same with you, Takuma and Kain." I smile, as she didn't mention Zero's name. Heh, payback _is _fun. Screw those people who say that revenge isn't worth anything, as I'm receiving quite a bit of delight! I start walking, but automatically stop, as I hear the taboo words (Or at least to me, right now.) echo out from behind me.

"What about Zero?" Aido reminds Ruka, completely oblivious to our plan. I stiffen a bit, and Ruka inhales, before I continue to walk briskly ahead. Ruka, after much moments of hesitation, and quite a bit of internal conflict, finally relents, much to my disappointment.

"Fine. He may come with. But, it wouldn't make much of a difference, as we're already here." She sighs. We stop at a pair of big doors, lavishly decorated with many patterns and designs. Roses laced the corners and well as the middle, and the doorknobs were one big flower, cut down the middle, where you could pull the doors open. I gape at the site, and Ruka laughs a bit, before the informs me. "And_ this_…" She points to the door. "Is only the freakin' _door_. Wait until you see the inside."

With that, she gives the doors a mighty shove, and I watch as they slowly creak open. What's inside was a beauty to behold. It was a dining room, the walls painted with extreme skill, as it looks like the dancers dancing within the painting are real, and floor is covered with deep indigo tiles, gleaming with our reflections, lit up by the moonlight, shining in from the ornate and beautiful windows. The windows are covered with lavish drapes, but the most beautiful part, was the ceiling. The ceiling was covered in black and purple, but had constellations, made up of stars. The tiny white dots looked like they were actually shining, and I feel like I'm actually looking at the sky, even though the evening was shining only a couple of meters away.

"So this is…" I mutter. "…the dining room." Only then do I notice the tables, covered with extremely tempting food, filled up with platters and platters of the stuff. People were already sitting around the dining table, conversing a conversation quietly, until they notice our presence. Well… no. Mostly _mine_.

Aido steps forward now, and declares to the room of people, as if it was his job, or something, "Yuuki Cross is here to stay!" With that, roars and cheers erupt from the lines of people, and clapping is deafening, some people standing up, some actually getting out of their seats to come and shake my hand, or hug me. Odd, cause I hardly _know_ the people, yeah? When the commotion dies down, and let me say, it took a while, one person directs me to my seat. Everyone around me starts to follow me, and all take their respective places. Ruka and the gang, as well as myself are directed to an entirely different table. The smallest, but the most decorated. It also had the best food. Everything looks great, and I thought that my situation couldn't get better.

Except for the fact that I have to sit next to Zero.

And except for the fact that he keeps staring at me.

And except for the fact, in which I still have to ignore him.

Oh God.

I'm royally screwed.

I look at Ruka, who was sitting across from me, smiling apprehensively. I know why though, and I don't need anyone to _clarify _that my current situation sucks. Shiki, who is seated next to me, (And Rima next to him) notices my discomfort, and pokes me on my shoulder to try to gain my attention.

I turn around, to face him, and he automatically smiles knowingly. I grimace, and my heart skips a beat, as I believe that my plan was found out. Damn. Am I that easy to read? He whispers softly to me, moving his mouth to my ear. I try not to think of the closeness of his body (Though I don't think of him like, well, like _that._) and try to focus on his words. "I see now. You can try and ignore him all you want, but I must warn you of the consequences later." I pull back, and look at his beautiful eyes, his words confusing me to no end. Consequences? Of what sort?

I hear the clink of a spoon against a glass, and turn to see Kain and Ruka standing up, glass and spoon in hand. Ruka opens her mouth to speak, but Kain beats her to it. "I would like to welcome Yuuki Cross, the Princess of Cross Kingdom, as a new member of our organization! May we…Wah?" What? Organization? Ruka whacks his head, and shoves Kain down in his seat. I chuckle at their antics.

"Sorry there. Someone took my lines!" She glares daggers at Kain, while he rubs his head awkwardly. "As I was _supposed _to say, may everyone treat Yuuki Cross, our new member, with love and affection, and may we hope that her skills will come in handy for the future!" With that, the group cheers, and I feel a hand jerk me up, out of my seat, forcing me to stand. I'm about to question that, who did it, but I'm onslaught with the cheers and claps sent my way. I even hear some cheer 'Go Princess Yuuki!', and I laugh a bit, forgetting about the matter from before.

When I sit down, Aido suddenly exclaims, "Remember, the fight for food is a merciless one! So everyone…try to survive!" and with that, he leaps into the trays and plates on our table, many following after him.

"Ah!" I exclaim. Well then, I certainly hadn't accepted that, fighting for food is rather weird! But as I look around our table, even Shiki and Rima, the supposed orderly people in this assemblage, and Zero, the supposed ringleader, for the meanwhile not concerned with me, even they were fighting to gain some food.

Eh…? Oh well.

I jump into the fray, everyone's silver ware shining in my face, impairing my vision. I spot some ramen noodles in the corner, and lunge my fork to get them, but someone's silverware beats me to it, and steals the majority. I sigh in disappointment, and reach for the remainders, splaying them all over my plate, once I grab them, as I move out of the cluster. Once the rest is put on my plate, I jump back in, and again, search for my next target. I locate a large bowl of caeser salad, and once again, reach forward to grab the bowl. But when I almost reach it, as it becomes close enough for me to touch it, the _same_ person (I can identify from their silverware, even though I can't see the faces. Everyone has a different color…) snatches the bowl away from me. When it arrives back in its original position, a couple of seconds later, it was now an empty bowl, save for a few croutons, and pieces of lettuce. You _can't _be serious. God, well, food is food. I snatch the salad bowl, or what's left of it, anyway, and pour the contents on my plate. I now look down at it; the food hardly filled a small portion of my dinnerware, not _nearly_ enough to satisfy my hunger, which was bubbling in my stomach. Deciding that I need to get more, I leap back in the jumble of bodies, and fight once again. I whip my head, back and forth, finding my next victim. I see a bowl, currently left alone, and first look around to see if that damned purple-jeweled silverware was around, looking to steal my food. When I see it across the table, currently fighting with blue silverware, I know this is my chance. Hell, I don't even know _what_ it is, but I reach for it. When the bowl is in my arms, I grin with victory, and pull it back, for me to feast on.

Except for the fact, that it's empty.

* * *

><p>I would starve, if this goes on for much longer. All through out dinner, the same person, the owner of that damn purple silverware, kept stealing what I would go for, leaving me scraps of food, which I had to suffice on. While everyone else sat back on their chairs, apparently full, to the fact in which they couldn't move, I was up and moving, looking around for leftovers of the ornate feast. When I couldn't find any, and with much hesitation, I sat down, quite disappointed with the fact in which I couldn't eat anything sufficient.<p>

"Aww, poor Yuuki." Aido speaks pointedly at me. I scowl. "Couldn't get anything to eat, eh? Well, in this house, eating food is a survival skill. You got to get dirty, or you will starve." I stick my tongue out at him, and turn away.

When I meet Zero's gaze, as he was still watching me after all this time, my breath catches is my throat. I avert my eyes automatically, but I can sense him still staring at me. _Yuuki, be calm. You have to remember; he's the one who will crack, not you. _I need to strike up some conversation with someone, anything to make _him_ lose his interest on me, so I turn to Rima, giving my back to Zero, and blurt. "So! That was very interesting! Do we eat like that everyday…oh, I mean every evening? Or, do you do that in the morning and afternoon too? Cause if we do, I guarantee that I will starve, yeah. Damn purple silverware kept stealing my food over and over again! Stupid purple silverware, stupid purple silverware…" I turn my head down to the able, and chant it, like it would do something about my empty stomach. I hear Zero laugh behind me. Dammit!

Rima looks at me like I have three heads, and stays silent for a few fleeting moments. Then, she asks very calmly, and very deliberately, "Yuuki, you didn't eat anything that has made you delirious, have you?" I sag my head. Great, now she thinks I'm crazy. And Zero laughing his ass off doesn't really help. Did I do something ridiculous? I mean, what could I have done to make Rima form a face like that, and to make Zero _laugh? _He never laughs. In fact, he hardly _smiles! _Much less _laugh!_

I breathe out, and shake my head. I stand up sharply, and mention to Rima, "I'll go to the bathroom. I need time to cool off…" With that, I start walking towards the exit of the ballroom, saying 'Hi' to the people littering the other tables.

I hear Zero yell behind me, "Yuuki! You'll get lost!" Ridiculous. Me, get lost?

Okay, maybe, but it's only the bathroom. Once I find my way, I'm sure to come back.

When I reach the exit, I push the doors, and after much struggle, I realize that I have to pull, thanks to a big sign that is hung on the door. Wow…I'm really out of it today…

I pull the doors open, and step out. As I take steps away, to one direction, I hear the door behind me slam. So no one had followed to show me the way, eh? Oh well. Adventure time! Now, lets see how long I can go, before I get lost.

* * *

><p>I'm lost.<p>

…

I know. How predictable.

Hmm, well, standing around, complaining about it won't do anything. I might as well try to find my way back. I look around me, once again, to try to find my way, to see any kind of passageway, in which I could escape from. I turn to my right…Ah! There's a good one! I run down the corridor, which was plenty large, and nicely decorated. I slow down, to admire the paintings hung up on the walls, and touch one of them. When I pull back my finger, it's now covered in a layer of dust. They seem pretty old, and so did the furniture littering the place. But, nonetheless, it was all very breathtaking.

I make my way out of the hallway, and into another fork in the road. But…what's this? The openings are very tall, and clearly aged, and an old, dirty sign hang above both. The notes on the signs are written in a different language, one which ancient and was never really used much, I conclude. I…forgot the name, but I can identify the language, as I learned about it quite a bit during my studies...

I don't have enough magic to perform a Word of Understanding, one that will let me decipher all codes and languages from the battle before, so I let my sense of adventure betray my common logic, and start to walk towards the entrances. I quickly choose one, the right one, and start to walk in to the darkness.

Immediately, I'm halted by a vice grip on my wrist.

"You are _not _allowed to go in there."

I'm whipped around, and come face to face with Zero's rather annoyed face. Not batting an eyelash, I rip my hand away from him, sharply turn, and walk away. For the second time that day, he walks up to me, grabs my shoulders, and slams me into a wall, pinning me there with his body. I feel the wall crack a bit under the force of the slam, and try not to wince, as I feel splints of wood pierce into my back. "The hell you ignoring me for?" he hollers. I resist the urge to cover my ears with my hands, and instead use them to push him off of me. My back, for some reason, gains an ache, in which I can't get rid of.

I smile sweetly, completely contrasting the rage boiling through my body. "I don't know. Figure it out yourself!" I try not to lose it, even after I had spoken, and again, try to walk away. I try not to walk to fast, to look calm and collected, but I can't help it, as I hear Zero's rushed footsteps start towards me. He catches up to me in no time flat, and jumps in front of me, blocking my escape through the hallway. Oh shoot…wait! I turn back to the entrances, and look smugly at Zero, victory, or an assumed one, etched across my face. "My win!" I exclaim, and start to sprint towards the openings.

"No!"

I hear the sound of a whip being lashed, and my sprinting is halted immediately, by something wrapping its self around my waist, as well as my hands, legs, and even my neck. I look down to see metallic vines, wrapping it around me. Suddenly, I'm pulled backwards, and my back collides with something hard More precisely, Zero's chest. My back, and I hope only from the collision, basically screams in agony. Zero's hands come out, and crush me closer to him, and even with the protesting my spine was doing, I can only think of our closeness. His body heat is radiating into mine, and I nearly shriek, blushing heavily, but instead, I resort to hyperventilating. "Wha…Z-Zero, w-what…why a-are you…oh m-my g-god…w-what are you _doing?_" What the heck is this, all of a sudden? But then breaking through my rather suggestive thoughts, I noticed something.

Zero was shaking.

Oh my gosh. "Z-Zero…are you-"

"When I tell you not to do something…" Zero's breath tickled my ear. Even his breathing was uneasy. My blush gets heavier at the distance between the vicinity of our bodies, (Is it even _possible?_) but I still listen, "Out of your safety, whether your furious or not, please do _not _ignore me." He whispers the last part rather harshly, but his movements contradict his tone. He softly lets me go, and I turn to look at him. I look into his eyes, and gasp as I see fear in the usually stoic amethyst, and my anger was now diminished. I avert my eyes quickly. Something obviously happened in these hallways, and whatever did, seriously affected the boy in front of me. And now, I'm scared. When I look back to him, the fear in his eyes is replaced by the previous anger and confusion. "Anyway, if you don't want to relent, to actually listen to me, then that's fine with me!" He turns around, and now it's his turn to storm out of the place. The hell? Bipolar much? And, he thinks he can get away with walking out on me like that? Especially with no answers? Hah, not likely.

I run up to him, and still sprinting, collide with his body while wrapping my arms around his waist, the impact almost throwing him of his feet. He freezes, and I feel his body go rigid. My face smashed into his back, I speak, my voice quite muffled. "I know something happened back there, in those passageways, though I'm not sure what it could've been. But, even though I just met you, and even though I'm still mad at you, you accepted me, for all the trouble I'm worth. So now it's my turn. If you have any problems, feel no hesitation in sharing the pain with me. It will not be a burden, and I would be happy to help. You never have to ask, you can go ahead and tell. So…please tell me…what happened…" I slowly unwrap my arms from Zero's back, and take a few steps back, and wait for him to say something. He turns around, and walks up to me. His words surprise me to no end.

"Why are you crying?" He smiles faintly as he says this. My eyes widen, and I reach a hand up to my eyes. When I touch them, they receive a cool liquid coating, which has already began to soak my fingers. I start to wipe at them, but Zero stops me.

"Let me do it." His thumb is slipped under my eye, and tenderly starts to wipe at my tears. With him looking at me so intently, I feel my heart beat out my ribcage, and put a hand on it to settle down and I avert my eyes from his, for like, the fifth time today. It doesn't work sadly, and I feel a blush creeping up on my cheeks. Even when he pulls his hand out from under my eyes, he doesn't stop looking at me.

…

…

…!

To break the awkward silence growing between us, I turn around, my back facing Zero, and blurt, "I'm hungry! I didn't eat at all because this damn guy kept stealing my…" I don't get to finish my sentence, because a shock of pain was sent up my spine. "Ow! What the…?" I reach my hand to touch the pained area, but Zero catches my wrist in my hand.

"Don't move." Zero says softly. I try not to, but when I feel another ripple of pain sent up my back, I jump, and frantically turn around, and look up at Zero. But, it's his shirt that gains my attention, and I see red blotches covering the front of it. Then I hesitantly look down to his hands. They were doused in the liquid. I gaze up to his face, even more scared than seeing blood. The guiltiness etched on his face is heartbreaking, but, his face was also twisted in...pain? And, is it me, or are his eyes...red? I couldn't tell very well, as he now covers his face with his blood stained hands. I ignore that for now, and slowly reach to my back, and touch the area. Again, the same spike of agony erupts through my body, and I quickly pull my hand away. I gasp, as I see them now deluged in blood, much like Zero's are. I put the pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle, and conclude that this wound is because of the wood that had pierced though my back, when Zero slammed me into the wall. I hadn't thought he did it _that_ hard…guess he must have been rather agitated.

"Hmm…that's gonna leave a mark…" I say softly. I wipe my blood on my already blood stained pants, and beckon for Zero to come closer. He does, so I speak to him. "This is your fault, you know."

"I know."

"So I expect to heal me, you got it?"

"Of course."

"And apologize."

"For what?"

"For yelling at me in battle, and for slamming me into a wall so hard, it made me bleed."

"I got it."

"And Zero…"

"What?"

"Will you heal me the same way as before?"

"Maybe."

Oh man, I don't even know if I want him to do it or not. Curse these teenage hormones!

" Fine. Now, direct me back to the kitchen, where you will order me some food!"

"Wha…?"

"Do you want me to forgive you, or not?" I wave a finger around, then point it at him, waiting for an answer.

"Tsk…women."

"Hee, I know."

* * *

><p>"Oh my gosh, Yuuki? Where have you been?" Ruka exclaims. I'm back in the dining hall, where everyone is swarming me with questions, or exaggerated tales on why I had been gone for so long. I try not to show anyone my back, by letting anyone creep up behind me, or accidentally turn around while I'm talking, so I make my conversations short and precise, as I wait for Zero to return with some food.<p>

"I assure you, nothing bad happened when I was gone. I had simply gotten lost, is all." I try and try to reassure the people that they missed nothing, that absolutely nothing happened in the time period in which I was away. I think I was doing pretty well from averting their attention, but my heart skips a beat when I hear Aido say:

"I smell blood." He starts to sniff dramatically, and his eyes search the room, trying to find who was bleeding. His statement causes everyone else to also sniff the air. As eyes widen, I'm start to get nervous, because I believe that they could find out if they look a bit closer. Soon enough, each and every pair of eyes locks on to me. I instinctively take a step back.

"Yuuki...a-are you bleeding?" Rima says to me. Her voice is shaking, which is odd for her. She's usually solemn. But now, she's very pale...I mean, paler than before, which scares me, and her eyes have a bit of a pained gaze. Just like Zero from before! I have to come up with an excuse, soon. And a believable one, too. I look for Zero, and I see him walking towards me, food in tow, but rather slowly.

Alright, here goes nothing. "I think it's just my shirt...I mean, from the battle, I think, I got rather bloody..." I try

"No...It...it's fresh..." Now it's Shiki's turn to stutter, and he speaks so softly, if the room wasn't dead quiet, I don't think I would've heard him. I look up alarmingly at Zero, and we catch each other's gaze. I think he gets the point, as I see his pace frantically increase, and he arrives here, soon. He pushes people out of the way, until he reaches me.

"Come on Yuuki. Let's go. Now!" He takes hold of my arm, and pulls me out of the door. We start running...well, Zero's running. I'm being dragged across the floor, but, we make our way across the hallways, and to the stairs. We go up one flight, and come to rest at another pair of large doors. I walk forward a little bit, and scan the doors with my hand, my breathing still uneasy from the mad escape we had just succeeded in.

"Hmm…what are these?" I question.

"These are the bedrooms. Usually, girls sleep in one room, while boys sleep in another. The maximum limit is 6 people per room. But there are some exceptions, you being one of them. For safety reasons, you will be sleeping next to me..."

My eyes widen to an immaculate degree, and I sputter, "Me...you...s-share a _room_? No…a _bed?_" I flail my arms, to try to prove what a bad idea it is, but I gain a shock of pain for my efforts, cascading down my upper spine, to my lower back.

"No! I mean, there will be a door separating us in the room, and we will share one bathroom, but there are locks for both sides, and we have separate beds. This is all for your safety, and I will only come into your room, should you ask." I release the air I didn't know I was holding. There was, still, one more matter I have to make sure of, though.

"Where will Ruka and the rest sleep?" I ask him.

He smiles faintly. "Don't worry. Their rooms are right next to ours, alright?" I sigh in relief, and start walking to the door. I shove them, but they don't budge. I try again, and gaining the same result, flip my head back to Zero, with a what-the-hell-is-this look currently owning my face. He rolls his eyes, reaches into his pocket, and pulls out a key, holding out for me to see. My mouth forms an 'O', and I step to the side to make room for Zero, wincing when my back scrapes the door. "Don't worry. I'll heal that when we get to the room." I nod, and watch him open the door. Man, my back is killing me!

Once wide enough for me to step through, I take my first steps in, and look around. Just an empty hallway, save for three doors at the end of it. I turn to Zero. "What…" He walks past me, beckoning for me to follow him. I do. We walk to the end of the hallway, and enter the middle door. Inside, I see doors, with numbers above, and a keyhole on all of them. Obviously, these are the rooms. I question, "Zero, which room are we…I staying in?" He points to the one on the far right side. I start to walk towards it, and once I reach it, I wait for Zero to arrive, because he has the key. He looks at me strangely, and then puts his face into his palm. "You can open it without a key, you know?" When he raises his head, I notice he was rather pale. His eyes too… he looks in pain. But I ignore that for now.

"Ah…"

I grip the handle, and open the door, while taking a step inside. The room was…_average_, to say at the least, but nothing in which I had expected from the ornate castle. But it has a bed, a TV (Though I doubt I would use it.), and a nightstand, as well as a desk, so I was satisfied, for a while. But…it was rather dull…Oh well, I would fix that later.

I flop down on the bed, and watch Zero put the food down on the desk. I scoot over, to give him room to sit. He doesn't at first, but a pout shot towards him is all he needs to oblige with my whims. "So, are you going to do it the same way…?" I mutter. "I mean, healing me…"

His smile turns feral. "Why? Would you like me to?" His voice was a bit uneasy. Man, what's wrong with these people, and their reactions to my wounds?

"I'll let you decide…now, turn around!" I twist my fingers to give him a physical example of what I have asked of him. He tilts his head in confusion. "I need to take off my shirt, you idiot!" He nods his head, and turns around. I pull my shirt above my head, and proceed to pull it off the rest of the way from the bottom. I then un-strap my bra strap, and using my shirt and bra, cover my front. I mention for Zero to turn around. When he does, I hear him gasp. I fell him lean forward, and he touches the hurt area tenderly, as I hold in a groan. "Why are you hurting me more?" I snap at him.

"Are you sure you want me to do this…" he gasps. His hot breath keeps landing on my wound, and I resist the urge to turn around. Why is he acting like this…?

"Please, just do it already!"

He grabs my shoulders, and dips his head into my back. Letting his tongue out of its cage, his licks around the wound, lapping up the blood, almost feverishly. He licks down, below the wound, or even the blood, and I issue a warning to him. Immediately, he moves back up, and starts to tend to the incisions. I bite my lip, to hold back a scream of pain, as I feel the wound go back together, as he traces a line down it with his tongue. I think my body was shuddering, as Zero squeezes my shoulder lightly to calm me down. I try to straighten my back, to make it easier for him, and yet again, he squeezes my shoulder, though a little bit harder than before. I get the picture, and stop moving. He gives the wound a final lick, and the pain intensifies tenfold as he moves away. Only then do I let out a small wail, as the healing continues, sending agony through my spine and upper back. It hurts so badly, that I almost feel like blacking out.

And then, there's nothing.

No pain from the wound, no pain from the healing. Just nothing.

"Haha, great, I-Wha…?" Again, Zero dips his head to my back, and begins to lick at my back. My back is cooled by his saliva leaking down my slender frame, but warmed by his hot breath, making goosebumps erupt on my skin. I start to turn around, as to ask Zero to stop, but instead, I stop, dead in my tracks, as he reaches his hands over me, and tugs me to his body, my back hitting his chest. I gasp, and I'm about to speak, but he grasps my head with a large hand, tilting my head to a rather uncomfortable degree, and leans his head over my neck, automatically silencing me. I freeze for a moment, my brain failing me for these fleeting moments, but I regain my senses quickly, shake violently, and scratch at his hands, to free my face and body, because I sense danger. Call it a women's institution, would you, and trust me, I'm hardly wrong, especially about situations like these. But, unfortunately, he responds by stretching his free arm over my front, and pulling me even closer to him, crushing me between his strong arms, and even more powerful front. He licks a slow, torturing line down my neck, and then abruptly pulls away. I think I'm free for the moment, but my thoughts are flipped 180, as a sharp pain is shot down my neck. Zero's face leans more into my body, and starts to lick at the wound(s), lapping up the blood which started spilling down my neck.

"What…" I whisper. He continues, even when I start to strain to get out of his grasp. He places his lips on the area that he had penetrated, and sucks to gain more blood into his mouth. He again, licks the area, and when a small amount of the red liquid dribbles down to my front, he wastes no time in dropping down there, and lapping it up, moving dangerously close to a certain area. I gain a dizzy pang from the lack of blood, and my vision blurs white, shaking violently, but originally resorts to normal, signifying that I'm running out of blood.

I decide enough is enough, and I slip my arms out from under his grip. Twisting my body, I turn to face him, and quickly smack him on the face. He recoils, and I jump away from him fluently, while knocking over the desk next to my, currently, blood stained bed. I use my clumsiness to my advantage, and duck behind the toppled furniture, while hesitantly peeking over it to watch my apparent attacker. My hand automatically reaches to my neck, where I run it over the broken surface, touching the two bumps that were still, even now, steadily leaking blood. I look at Zero's mouth, which was cover in blood, as his hand runs over the surface of his lips. When the ligament is removed, fangs, long sharp, blood drenched _fangs _are revealed to me. My eyes clench in fear, as I look over his appearance, or more likely, my _blood _on his form, and I slowly speak, my voice shaking in disbelief and pure, utter terror.

"Z-Zero, y-you…you're a vampire…?"


	4. My Risky Confessions

**Hey everyone! *Dodges shoes throw at her from angry readers***

**I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I know, I'm _very_ late with the update, but with the 3 quarter of school coming to an end (Which means _PTC's!_), I had to work hard to get my grades as high as I could! :D**

**Um, I know this chapter is a bit short, but it has some important information. And as you read it, you might think Yuuki is being a bit...uh..._dramatic_, but try to imagine the situation she's currently stuck in.**

**Oh yeah, she also has super-humanly strength from all the training she underwent when she was a child...yeah. Okay, let's go with that!**

**Anyway, I do not own Vampire Knight, and all the absolutely_ smexy_ characters that come with it!**

**Please read and review, and every message I get will be held close to my heart! (-So deep)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>The silence in the room is deafening, the only sound being my erratic heartbeat as I try futility to calm it down. My hand grips my neck, where two incisions had been placed, ignoring the agony sent through it by the simplistic gesture. My body is hunched behind a table, covering my almost exposed chest with my bloodied clothes, as I quiver in fear and shock from the sudden turn of events, which had attacked me so suddenly. I quickly, but clumsily, pull my shirt on, and lock my eyes with illuminant crimson ones that were piercing me, like a predator who would eye his prey. Zero takes a step forward, and I immediately jump up from behind the furniture, then turn to the door, as I try strive away from him to avoid the possibility of another attack.<p>

But luck wasn't on my side today.

My foot, which is still intertwined with the bed sheets, jerks backwards, and flips me off my feet, causing me to spiral towards the ground, crashing me into the toppled furniture as I plummet to the floor, landing roughly on the cold tiles. I grip my shoulder, which had smashed into the corner of the desk, and struggle to get the sheets off my foot, which were slowing my escape with my uninjured hand. My vision blurs from the pain and the blood loss, halting my retreat for a few moments, and it takes me around ten seconds, all of which were valuable, to unravel my foot from the blasted blankets, and to stand up shakily.

I look behind me, and I see that Zero hasn't come _too _close, but he could still reach me, easily. Facing the front, I sprint towards the door of my room, and grip the door handle. Wasting no time, I rip the door off its hinges, ignoring the protesting in which my shoulder was doing, and strengthened by my adrenaline, with a battle cry, hurl it at Zero. He dodges fluently, but my throw was too fast. It knocks him a bit on his face, marking a scratch, but sadly, only causing his determination to unravel, as he calls out for me, stretching his hand in my direction. I panic, and start to run out the open space, in which the door should have been, but Zero catches my wrist and pulls me forward, away from the exit, then proceeds to drag me to the bathroom. I pull my arm to get out of his grasp, swearing, screaming, and scratching at him, any kind of desperate attempt I have to escape this predicament. Ignoring me completely, he throws the bathroom door open, and then chucks me in it, while he steps in himself, locking both doors; the entrance to his room, and the escape to mine, now completely blocked off. He turns towards me, locking his gaze with my own fearful one, his eyes still glowing blood red, and then gradually starts forward to me, yet again.

I slowly back away from him, and every step he takes, I inch away two. But, his strides are longer than mine, and he soon catches up to me. He grabs my shoulders, while turning my body to face him. I yelp a bit, as he presses on the area where I had banged on the furniture, and ultimately stiffen, and twist my head away, avoiding eye contact, as my orbs held terror within they're premises, as I bite my lips to stop the shriek which has been building up, burst through my mouth. I stay like this for seconds, even minutes, before I hear an impatient sigh, and a strong hand grabs my face. I remember quickly, how Zero had done the same thing before feeding off me, so I screech, and swat his hand away. I again, start to back away, only to slam my foot into the bottom of the toilet, causing me to plunge to the floor again. But this time, as I lay sprawled on the ground, I don't have enough of seconds to give away to get back up on my feet. Desperately, I crawl backwards on the ground, as fearful tears start to weld up in my eyes. My voice shakes with my whimpers and my pleas for Zero to stop this, to give up, to _subside _with this perilous game of cat and mouse_, _but he doesn't relent.

When my back hits the wall, I gasp sharply, automatically sucking in my breath, as the first tear falls, escaping my eyes, and down my shaking, blood stained face. I hesitantly look up to Zero, or rather, down, because he ducks beneath me before I can get eye contact. I'm about to question cautiously what he was doing, but I quickly get lifted into the air, a couple of strong, lengthy arms encircling my waist. My eyes widen immensely, and I instantaneously try to swing out of his grasp, shaking violently while aiming pointless kicks at his body, screaming bloody murder, tears streaming down my face at the fear of dying such a horrible way. But, Zero simply walks to the bathtub, stills for a bit, and drops me in it, my body disappearing from his view as it falls into the crevice of the vessel. I stay on the bottom of the bathtub for a few moments, recollecting my thoughts, wondering why the _hell _I wasn't dead yet, all while slowing my tears to an absolute stop, a very troubling task.

After a minute or two of constant thinking, I perk my head up and look for Zero. I see him currently residing on the toilet cover, looking rather guilty, his gaze pointed directly at me.

My heart skips a beat, and I push back further in the tub, but decide I have to talk, no matter how scared. I try to sound fearless, but my voice betrays me harshly, stuttering over words, and its tone quavering. "Z-Zero…why? W-why me, Z-Zero?" I see his eyes clench, and I flinch backwards, hitting the wall sharply, though I continue. "H-have you drank before?" My voice stumbles when I say 'drank'. "Are you really a vampire?" He stands up, and I whimper a bit, but yet again, continue. "Are you going to attack me again...?" I whisper, shaking enough to cause an earthquake. He comes close enough to reach for me, grabs my wrists, and surprising me, pulls from out of the bathtub, and into a hug. Again, I stiffen, and wait for the possible attack to intonate. My heartbeat quickens to the point where it might beat out of my chest, and my breathing gets heavy and panicky, as I clench my hands hard enough until my palms start to bleed and my knuckles go white, and bite my lips to stop my sobs. But, nothing happens. Zero tightens his hold around me, and speaks, in a low, soft intonation.

"I'm sorry, Yuuki. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. My instincts just took over, and I…" He crushes me even closer, before he speaks again. "…I couldn't help it. Your blood was so…!" I feel Zero's body go rigid, before he drops me abruptly. I slip on the ground from the sudden landing, though before I can hit the ground, I slam into something hard, toppling whatever it was with me. As we fall to the floor, my body is cuddled into something warm, apparently protecting me from the damage of falling again. When we land, I find that it had done a good job, as I hadn't gotten any bumps worth worrying about in the whole ordeal. I lift my self a little from the supplement of warmth, and slowly open my eyes. I nearly shriek when I see _Zero_ on the floor, and me right above him, accidently pressing my head into his neck. I jump to get up immediately, but Zero, wraps his arms around me, pulling me closer into his chest. I blush madly, as I collide with him once more, this time feeling his defined chest more easily, my hands and eyes accidently scanning. I feel my heart beating through my ribcage, but I couldn't do anything about it. After staying like that for a few moments, he pulls my head up, and looks straight in my eyes, the crimson now replaced by amethyst. "Are you alright, Yuuki?" I nod my head fervently, staring at him. I can't help but wonder…where has the fear gone?

"Good. Now please, be careful, would you?"

Where _is_ it? Where is my _fear_? Wasn't I supposed to scream now? I mean, a _vampire _had drank from me, chased me, and when finally catching me, had hugged me, then protected me from a fall. He had acted nice before, but all these signs could just be him, trying to gain my trust, and then luring me into his trap. And in his arms, he could easily bite me right now, and end my life, while my blood, my life force, prolonged his. So, why am I not scared?

He releases me, removing the thought of him biting me, and I jump of his body immediately. I take a few steps back once my feet touch the floor, still a bit apprehensive, but nowhere _near_ as before. After all, how could I trust him? He has to work a bit harder for me to trust him again, right? He stands up, and comes close to me, then bends down on his knees, to speak face to face to me. I instinctively take a step back, but then face him, to hear what he has to say, even _if_ my heart is racing.

"You must understand this, Yuuki. I'm about to say something rather…frightening." I clench my teeth, debating whether or not to let him to continue, as such things could prevent my escape. The over whelming urge to flee is boiling through my body, but my current interest turns my feet into cement, gluing me to one spot. "I am a vampire." I flinch a bit. But it's obvious, isn't it? "But I was originally human…actually, a vampire hunter." I nod a bit. I guess I'll just stay here, then. "Now I know you've probably read in your studies that vampire hunters have a bit of vampire DNA in their systems. That is true." I nod my head shakily, though, as it was a bit hard to process. So, had he been a vampire in the past? "Now, humans turned into vampires will slowly descend to Level E…wait, have you learned about the vampire class triangle?" I, again, nod my head. The vampire triangle represented how much blood of the original vampires rested in your veins. Level A is Purebloods; Level B is nobles, and so on. "Good. Now, you know that Level E is the state of uncontrollable bloodlust, causing vampires to attack humans on will." I flinch a bit. Is he implying that he's a Level E? "I promise you…we are not like that." Apparently not. But, wait…

I tilt my head. "We…?"

Zero nods his head, and looks pointedly at my neck. "I will get to that later. Now, as a vampire with almost no vampire blood in their system, I _will _descend to Level E. But there is a way to stop that." I lean forward a bit. He smirks faintly, clearly amused at my wonder. "I must drink the blood of the one who bit me. But, the one who has turned me…has gone missing." I sag my head a bit. So Zero will fall to level E… "But…" I perk my head up. "The time it takes for me to ultimately fall to the state of uncontrollable bloodlust can be lengthened." I lean in even closer, eager to hear a way. "I must either drink the blood of a Pureblood, or drink the blood of that of a Royal Heritage." I look down a bit, and point to myself. Zero nods. "Yes. You."

As he finishes his speech, he turns away from me sharply. I stare down intently at my hands, as I start an internal conflict in my mind. Zero needs blood… _my _blood, so he won't descend to Level E. But, if I don't give it to him willingly, he might attack me again in his fall to his uncontrollable thirst, and this time, not be able to control himself, either hurting me, or ultimately _killing_ me. I shudder a bit at the thought. Should I do it…should I be brave? Well, it doesn't matter, really, as my blood will be sucked either way.

God. Why does this have to be so complicated?

"I…" Zero perks his head up, facing me, while his eyes bore into mine intently. As I gaze on the guilty look on his face, I decide quickly on what I must do. "You may drink from me w-whenever you feel in pain from the b-bloodlust, okay. I really don't care whether or not your a vampire, and my fear is something that I come along almost everyday. And I like you…a-as a f-friend, of course!" I flail my arms wildly. Zero merely raises an eyebrow, and waits patently for me to get on with it. I return almost immediately to my serious mood. "So, please…use my blood to help you."

Zero's eyes slit menacingly. "Yuuki, no! Don't be stupid!" He exclaims. "I've already drank enough!" I laugh a bit.

"Already have? I've hardly known you for a couple of days! And don't worry, I'm doing this out of my own free will." I stand up curtly, not giving any room for discussion and walk to the bathroom exit. As I raise my hand to unlock the door, a burning sensation is sent down my shoulder. I wince harshly, and face down at my shoulder, while pulling down the strap of my t-shirt. A nasty bruise, the size of an egg, currently resides on my shoulder, staining the once beautiful tan with a dark purple and blue, covering most of my shoulder. I turn to Zero. "Sheesh. Must have hit it harder than I thought. I'm always getting hurt, aren't I?" I smile sheepishly, and turn back to the door. Before I can open it, I feel a presence move behind me, and a hand that grips my healthy shoulder. Bending down, Zero places a kiss on the bruise, and slaps something on my neck. I jump a bit, and reach a hand up to my nape, skimming over the band-aid that now occupies the space in which the two wounds had been placed. Zero suddenly opens the door of the bathroom, and walks out hastily, not even stopping to close it. Stunned by the caring gesture, as well as the kiss, embarrassment creeps up on me, as my cheeks turn a bright red, and my mind starts spinning. My eyes lock on to Zero's moving back, as I stutter over my words, whipping my head back at the door, which was left open by Zero. I open it the rest of the way with haste, and examine my attacker. When he finally leaves, I look down at my injured shoulder.

The bruise isn't there anymore.

"Oh god, that's still so cool…" I mutter. Straining my gaze from the non-existent bruise, (Or maybe just Zero's saliva on my skin) I run out of the bathroom, and to Zero, who was calmly sauntering down the hallways. Heh, does he think he can get away, just like that? I dash through the open door, and out of my room, until I spot Zero. Running up to him, I viciously punch him on the back, using my speed to my advantage, sending him sprawling on the floor. He looks back up to me, glaring knifes at my body while gripping his back.

"The heck was that for?" he snaps. I smile sweetly, and pivot away.

My back facing Zero, as I saunter in front of him, and without turning back, say, "That was for biting me, and not telling me what's going on, as well as revealing you were a vampire _after _you had bit me." I stop, and then turn back to him. "But don't worry. I'm sure you can heal the bruise yourself." I smile brightly, and shift again, facing the front, as I hear Zero sigh with exasperation behind me. But, I ignore his obvious annoyance. There is, after all, something I still have to take care of.

Sitting on a table, I glare at the people occupying the once empty chairs. Glancing back and forth at everyone, my eyes retain a nasty glint as I examine the faces of my newly acquired comrades. No guilt. Just an ass-load of confusion. Hmm…so they haven't been informed yet, eh? Oh well. I could always tell them that I found out, right? I mean, they won't be shocked, eh? After all, I had to find out sooner or later.

That they're _all _vampires, right? Well, sort of. And what they do in their organization, right? Zero had informed me on my way here. The conversation is still fresh in my mind.

"_What? Are you freakin' kidding me?" I exclaim. I stop walking to face Zero, as I shake my head abruptly from side to side. But, they can't right? They can't be vampires! Right…?_

"_Sorry Yuuki. I forgot to tell you that." I glare a bit at him. He doesn't falter, and continues. "But, the only ones who are vampires are…"_

"_Oh, please. Don't tell me that there's some kind of requirement for people to be blood sucking monsters…" I mutter, and sigh a bit, as I turn to Zero. As his eyes are furious enough to burn a hole in my face, I wail a bit, and turn my face away, hastily adding, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please, continue!"_

_He sighs sharply, and starts again. "As I was saying, only the officials of our organization are vampires. The officials are ones who you are already familiarized with."_

_I do a double take. "You mean….Ruka, Shiki and Rima…they're vampires? And only them?"_

_Zero nods his head. "As well as Aido, Kain, and Takuma, don't forget them. On top of that, each of us controls a special power or element, which no one else has or can control better. For example, Rima controls electricity, and Shiki controls the blood whip, but Rima does not wield blood, and nor does Shiki control electricity. We also have healing powers through our saliva and blood, and we heal faster than a normal human. "_

_My mind was reeling. So, that's how Rima and Shiki had used their powers in the battle, as well as the fact that Ruka could hypnotize through images and scenarios, and how Aido froze me to the ground from before. But…there's still something I have to clear._

"_How do you people know how to fight? Why are you not frightened by blood shed? What's so special about officials? And what does your organization do?"_

_Zero chuckles a bit. "One at a time, eh?" I nod. "We are rebels of the kingdom, either from betraying the royal army, or just a plain mercenary who wants to overthrow the king. There are many other bases stationed out across the world, all of which are trying to overthrow corrupt rulers, much like us. Our group gathers here, and completes missions from our leader to gather money to give to the poor, or to fund our organization. Other missions benefit us, as well as removing people who we deem to be threats, and we are sometimes hired for assassinations or whatnot by ordinary people. We are called The Revolutionaries, as we strive to create a better world."_

"_I see…so that's what Kain and Ruka meant by my presence being a help for them… to have a princess of the very country they want to over throw on their side must be beneficial…Anyway. Who's your leader?" I question. This is pretty cool. Regardless of whether I came here or not, they would be hunted, eh? Well, in their point of view, it might be horrible. But in mine, at least I know that it's not completely my fault that they're being pursued. I look up to Zero, and wait for his answer to my previous question._

"_We don't know." His face maintained it's calm features, but soon, his eyes widened a fraction, and he tilts hid head a bit. "Hadn't Ruka told you already?"_

_I tilt my head. "No. Why?"_

_He looks a bit surprised. "They tell everyone automatically, and I had assumed they told you."_

_I frown a bit. "Regardless if I knew or not, you still bit me, if that's what your trying to say."_

_He growls at me sharply, and I shrink back a bit as he speaks. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm simply surprised that they hadn't told you about them, as well as what they do."_

_I shake my head, and look to the floor, a bit disappointed that they hadn't trusted me with the newly acquired information. " More fleeting secrets, I guess." I sigh a bit, before I look up, and see Zero opening a door._

"_Were here. Shall we go in?"_

"_We shall." _

I sigh, as I recall the memory. But of course, it would still be fresh in my mind. Hmph, whatever. I give everyone a final veer, before I start talking. "So. Is there something you want to _tell _me, guys." I see some faces contort with surprise and fear, while others remain impassive. I smirk a bit. "I'm mean, were _comrades, _right? Were supposed to _trust _each other, right? No secrets, eh?"

Aido scoffs. "What are you talking about? W-we're keeping no secrets from you." Hah. But I _know _you are. And, even if I didn't, did I just hear _hesitation?_ Hmph. A dead give away.

"Sure. So, you wouldn't happen to know any vampires, would you?" Again, a cruel smirks is etched on my face as I enjoy playing with them.

Almost everyone in the room jerks a bit, and I _know _I've hit a bull's eye. But still, Aido tries again. "No. We don't know anyone like that."

Hmm. Quite stubborn, huh. Oh, well. I could always try again. "Are you sure? Because, I'm _sure _that there's at least…say, _seven_." I keep the bitter smile to myself, as again, I hear almost the whole room gasp.

"N-no! Where did you get t-that?" Aido tries one more time.

They won't relent, eh? Fine. I guess I have to resort to drastic measures. I take my finger, and put it in my mouth. I bite down viciously, and take out my finger, now bleeding. I let the blood drip down in drops, collecting in a tiny, red pool on my lap. Although it's a small amount, Aido, Ruka, Shiki, Rima, Takuma, and Kain jerk wildly at the spilled blood like it was poison. Almost all cover their face with their hands, as I see their eyes turn a luminous crimson, just like Zero's had.

"Odd, eh… because, is that a symptom of _bloodlust _I see? So, does that mean, are you _vampires?" _My voice reeks of sarcasm, and I try to at least stop some of the bitterness sweeping through my voice, my brisk movements.

Aido, again, tries to avert my attention from the actual truth. Though, he's gasping pretty hard, a dead give away, he still tries. "I-I don't k-know what y-you're talking a-about!" I nearly snap then, because the evidence was so clearly out there. But they _still _won't comply!

I lick my finger to stop the bleeding, and to calm my temper, but as I see apprehensive looks sent through out the room, signs of worry and unrest, and mutters of disappointment, but especially entrust, my patience bursts. I break my oblivious act, and let my voice crack with ferocity.

'_They tell everyone automatically, and I had assumed they told you.'_

"Why didn't you tell me, you idiots?" I let my temper soar, and strive towards Aido, and grab him by the shoulders, as he _was _the one doing all the lying, and shake him brutally. His smile was blinding, mocking me, like he was enjoying this the whole time, even when being thrown practically everywhere. "For your information, I already _knew!_ Can you _not_ trust me with your superficial secret? " I scream, and jerk Aido harder.

People in the room rush to us, as they try persistently to pull me away from Aido. Using the much disturbing aid, he breaks free of my grasp, and pulls his hands up in a defensive posture. The people circle my arms and waist, and pull my a decent distance away from him, apparently fearing what I could do to the officer. Even after this, I still struggle to get out of their grasp, and on him. I succeed, as I remove their hold, and rush towards my victim. Yet, more people come and try to tame me, but I refuse to get held back more. I start aiming punches and kicks at him widely, but Aido only smirks, and continues annoying me. "Whoa, whoa, hey! I didn't know you wanted to know!" He exclaims. I struggle to again to remove my bonds, only fueling my determination. He laughs a bit, breaking his smile into a obnoxious chortle as he tries to protect himself from my onslaught of attacks. But soon, he stops shielding himself, as his body suddenly goes rigid and still. I practically feel the confusion and the aggravation in the air, as his eyes, once alight with amusement and smugness, now slit in chagrin and vexation. I automatically stiffen, my anger evaporated, as remorse takes its place. My eyes widen, as Aido's lock on to my neck, where the band-aid covered my bite mark, him glaring at the plaster quite resentfully. That's…I put the pieces together quite perfectly, as they fit like a jigsaw puzzle, a horrible, fate deciding puzzle. He found out…

Well, _this _is quite the impressive flip-flop.

I whirl my face away from him rapidly, and jump out of my capturers' grasp, backing away hastily, turning around, and instinctively covering my neck with my hand. "Sorry. I had simply wanted to know why you hadn't trusted me with the secret." I sigh heavily, and try to sound calm and collected, completely in contrast to the storm raging inside of my body. My stomach is lurching, and my blood is pounding in my ears. "Alright, then I'll…Eh?" Suddenly, Aido's arm circles my waist, preventing any of my movement, and stopping my retreat completely, by stilling my body from the waist downwards. His hand grips my wrist, pulling it away from the band-aid, so he could examine it better. His hand skims across the nape off my neck, and comes to a rest over my plaster. He keeps it there, and doesn't move. I suck in my breath, my heartbeat going miles per hours, as I wait in anxiety for what will happen.

"Ow!" Quickly, the band-aid is ripped from my skin, leaving raw skin, and my bite wounds, exposed for the room to see. The plaster held in Aido's fingers, he takes it, and waves it in front of my face. My hands jerk out of Aido's grasp, though my waist still held, and snap them up to my neck, covering the incisions before anyone else's gaze could catch them

"Who did it?" Aido acts curtly. I flinch, then shake my head briskly. "Who _did it? _I'm sure you must know that it's completely forbidden for a vampire to drink in our base!_"_ Although he was not yelling, there's a certain harshness to his voice, and I warily avert my eyes from his calm, but obviously tense on the inside, ones. Unfortunately, I come face to face with Ruka's concerned orbs, as her soft hands come up, and touch my wound carefully, after removing my balmy hands from it.

"Yuuki…? Your first day here, and you already got…_bitten?_" I shake my head, refusing to speak, at the apprehension of how weak and miserable my voice would sound. "Yuuki…who did it, Yuuki?"

"I-I…um…tsk." I look down at Aido's arm, which was still held firmly around my waist. I click my tongue, ponder my options. Well, I could tell them…don't know what would happen to Zero, but it'll get _me _out of trouble. Or I could do exactly what they were doing to me before. Acting oblivious to the facts when the were so clearly revealed. I perk my head up, and make a decision. "Sheesh, I always seem to be stuck in situations like these…" I shake my head. "Fine. I'll tell you on three conditions." I glance at their faces. Most seemed willing, so I continued. "One, don't _ever _lie to me again, as you realize the reason I was bitten was because you guys didn't tell me in the first place." People's faces covert to guilty smiles, and disappointed sighs. I smile menacingly as I say the next condition, my voice turning sickly sweet. "Two, Aido remove your freaking hands from off of my body before I rip them off and stick them up your ass." Aido quickly listens to my order, releasing my hands after a bit of hesitation, then jumps back a couple of feet. Enjoying my, once again, much strained-for freedom, and I stretch my arms, and crick my neck. How many times have I been captured today…? Sometimes, this is too much for someone to handle, regardless of being a princess. "Three, just…don't kill the person, okay?"

Ruka laughs a bit. "Kill? Why would we? But, there _is _punishment to whomever did it." I see her eyes darken a bit, as her voice drops menacingly low, but she reverts back to her normal self once her eyes meets my trembling body, my hands held up in a desperate defense position.

I swallow my saliva, and brace myself…well, no. I send a prayer to the God to protect Zero, and declare rather loudly,

"It was Zero!" I watch said person's form on the wall jerk, and start to turn slowly, as the people occupying the room gasp for like, the hundredth time today. I continue. "He was the person who did it! But, don't be angry!" People look at me expectantly, their eyes widened in confusion. "Because…" I take a gulp of my saliva, and brace myself yet again to the lie in which I have to use to save Zero from his own comrades.

"Because I let him do it!"

* * *

><p><strong>Oho, confession time! Well, kind of. <strong>

**Anyway, if it was hard to follow, Yuuki just lied for Zero's sake, even after she found out the "forbidden practice of blood drinking", or whatever. :D**

**Yup. That takes some _guts!_**

**Anyway, please review!**


	5. His Outrageous Challenge

**Hi!.****..WAH! *Dodges buildings thrown at her by absolutely enraged fans***

**I'm so sorry! School got released yesterday, and there's been "Exams this" and "Exams that" going on with my life. I never get a break.**

**Anyway. An upload of the Cross Princess! Took me long enough, I know.**

**Yeah, this chapter is a bit shorter than what I usually write, because if I wrote anymore, I'd just be dragging on and on about useless things. And that ultimately lowers the overall performance of the writing piece.**

**I don't own Vampire Knight, or any of the absolutely _sexy _characters that come with it.**

**Review, please! I don't get much, but each and everyone is very special to me.**

**Okay, enjoy the story!**

* * *

><p>I listen to the intense gasps echo around the room, ricocheting off my body one by one. Collectively, everyone turns to gaze at me, eyes widened, mouth practically hitting the floor, and eyebrows shot up in shock. Their faces don't surprise me, but do scare me a bit. Was it <em>that<em> terrible that I let Zero drink my blood…well, that I'm going to? Of course, I hadn't told them that I'm going to continue, and judging by their reactions, I'm not _gonna_ anytime soon. I curl my hand in a fist tightly, and raise my head, determined.

Ruka, whose arm was currently resting on my shoulder, slips off limply, while she peers behind my head and at Zero. Her eyes slit, and her mouth clenches in anger, while her hands are tightly held in a fist by her side. Her face practically turns red, and she silently seethes at Zero. If the situation weren't this serious, I would've stated to her that steam is practically flying out of her ears right now. But now's not the time, obviously. I put my hand on her shoulder quickly, trying to calm her down. "R-Ruka! It's okay…?" She brushes my hand off immediately, and walks past me briskly.

Calmly, or seemingly so, she takes the path down to Zero, everyone moving out of the way for their enraged comrade, until she reaches him. Close enough for their bodies to touch, she reels her hand back, and punches him harshly on the face. Zero's body flies of the ground, as a result of Ruka's natural vampire strength, and slams into the closest wall, the cement cracking because of the force of the smack. His body slightly slumped, Zero slowly wipes the blood off of his face, and gazing at it menacingly, shapes up off the wall, slits his eyes a fraction, and walks up to Ruka, furious. She retaliates against his offensive gesture by grabbing his collar, and dragging him down to eye level, raising her hand to hit him again. I gasp sharply, and start to run to them, screaming for them to stop before it got serious. "Ruka, it's okay! That's _enough_! Stop!"

As I sprint up to them, I hear Ruka screaming, and see her shaking Zero viscously. Zero looks nonchalant, like what Ruka is saying has no effect on him, and maintains his eye contact with her, unfazed. "You moron! How could you do that to her! How could you take advantage of her like that? She didn't know that it wasn't allowed! She didn't know blood offering wasn't allowed!" She removes one hand from Zero's collar, and uses it to beat the top of his head, while she yells louder. "Of all of the people, our damn commander has to lose control! How could you? You're supposed to have the strongest will!" Zero could easily throw her off of himself, but why doesn't he? Is his chivalry too high?

By now, Shiki and Takuma rip Zero from Ruka clutches, and Kain and Aido hold her back. She struggles frantically against their hold, tearing at their hands and arms, and swearing against Zero's life and honor. She seemingly has lost her sanity. I pause my running for a bit.

Did I really look like _that_ when I was doing the same thing?

No! I shake my head, and focus on the important part. I continue to run up to Ruka. But, before I can reach her, I notice the rude glances that people send at me, ones of annoyance that stop me dead in my tracks.

I feel my temper boil quite high, to the point where I might forget about the situation going on, and belittle them verbally. Oh please. They're annoyed? _They're annoyed_! Honestly, they lied about something that nearly cost me my life, and all I do is tell the truth, somewhat, anyway, and they get all pissed_?_ _Really!_ I slit my eyes, and harshly scream at them, vexed beyond my belief, and hopefully theirs, as well. "Hey! If you have time to _glare_ at me, then you have _time_ _to_ _fix this situation!_ Stop _gawking,_ and start _helping_!" I whip my head back to the front, and continue my sprinting. "Ruka! That's _enough!" _I shriek.

As I burst through the blockade of people, I see that Zero starts to fight back. I click my tongue in annoyance, and run a bit farther, before I sprint the last couple of meters. That idiot. Does he even know how to walk away? Not sparing a moment to think, and seeing Zero about to retaliate, I reel up, jump through the air, and tackle him viciously. We fly a bit through the air, before we crash into the floor, and roughly come to a rest. I grab my shoulder, which I guess rammed too hard into Zero's collar bone, and uncurl my arms from Zero's chest hastily, standing up immediately, coughing. The room fixes their eyes on us, like they've never seen some one tackle another, as I breathe out in exasperation. I place my hands on the sides of my head, and rub my temples faintly, breathing heavily, and cough a bit more. I blink a bit, and find the silence a bit awkward, but it's better than having two comrades trying to kill each other, all because of me. I sigh in relief, as the whole fiasco is _somewhat_ over.

But then, as I think over what just happened, I feel my temper flair up again. My eye twitches almost uncontrollably, and I open my mouth and bellow, turning to Ruka, who was just freed from her restraints, and Zero, who was still lying on the floor. "What the _hell _was that!" I scream and stomp my foot. "Are you guys two year-olds, squabbling like little children! Do you know how to assess a situation, and what to do in one!" I close my eyes, raise my head up, and put my hands on my thighs. " Fighting doesn't solve anything! It's my problem whether or not I do such an act or not…!" I turn to Ruka. "Yes. I didn't know that I wasn't allowed to give Zero blood, and at first, I hadn't realized you were all vampires. But he didn't force me to do it…!" Which is a bald faced lie. Anyway…" I allowed him." Then, I briskly turn to Zero, and glare down at him. "And you. You didn't tell me! How was I supposed to know that I wasn't allowed? Don't make me look like _a delinquent_ when I've only been here for a short while!" I click my tongue, and look wearily around the conference room, and the mess that it had become, before sighing, and declaring, "All of you…just…." I shake my head. "…Just go. Leave me alone so I can clean up this mess."

"Yuuki!" I hear Ruka say. "You need to recover from your lack of blood!"

Oh. I forgot about that. Well, whatever. I smile encouragingly, and will the annoyance out of my face. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. It's only a bit of cleaning, after all." I extend an arm out, and flick my wrist. "Now go."

As everyone in the conference room files out, save for Ruka and Zero. As I watch the last of the feet take a step out of the room, and hear only the faintest footsteps, is only when I break my gaze from the floor, and eye the two staring at me. I tilt my head curiously, and slit my eyes a bit. "What are you still doing here?" I inquire.

"I had a message to relay to you, before we got…interrupted." She glares faintly at Zero. He sends back a nonchalant gaze. "Anyway, your first mission is in a week. Because you've just started out, your missions won't be too dangerous…"

"So…what is it?" I question frantically. I ignore my exhaustion, and clap my hands in joy. Finally! My chance to be useful to the group! I hope it's a hard mission...I can show my skill, while proving my worth! Ooh! This is gonna be good!

"Grocery shopping."

…

…

…!

"Wha…?"

Ruka laughs faintly, and speaks. "It's a more perilous mission then you could ever think it to be. You have to infiltrate the kingdom again, and slip unnoticed through the hordes and masses of your people, all the way to a grocery shop. Remember, because of Kaname, the common folk are hurting for money. You probably have a bounty of some sort on your head, so people, regardless of whether you're the princess or not, will turn you in with scarce, or even none, hesitation." I gulp, and play nervously with my hands. Zero notices this, and shoots me a semi-encouraging glance. I smile weakly. "Now, when you finally get into the store, collect all of the things you have on this list." She thrusts her hand in her pocket, and pulls out a crumpled piece of paper. "Gather everything up, and then buy it…"

I interrupt her there. "But Ruka…wouldn't my people notice me immediately? And traveling around with a billowing coat protecting my face isn't going to exactly _repel _attention, if you know what I mean…and at the grocery shop, if your asking me to buy…" I smooth the sheet of paper, which I received not too long ago, and stare at the contents. "…Cigarettes and alcohol, they'll ask me for an ID. I'm underage _and _wanted, so that won't work out well for me."

"That's why I'll send Zero out with you." I choke on air. "He'll take care of everything, printing out fake ID's, averting attention and whatnot. And he looks over eighteen, so it's fine." My eye twitches. "By the way, how old _are _you, Yuuki?"

"Ah…" I smile sheepishly, and rub the back of my head. "Would you believe 16…?" Ruka's eyes widen.

"You're that young, and you already fighting?" Ruka looks to the floor, and shakes her head. "This is proof of how low our society has dropped…" I nod in agreement. Ruka looks up to me, and points her head in the direction of the door. "Well, I'll take my leave now. You decide whether or not to accept this mission or reject it. Come see me when you've decided. The mission will take place a week after you accept."

I watch as Ruka trails out the room, Zero following her. Do I accept the mission? I mean, I'm sure it's just a training sequence after all, right? After I prove my worth, they'll give me harder missions. I know they will!

But now…

I glance around at the tatters of the room that we just held our conference in. Tables are thrown everywhere, chairs in places where chairs _really_ shouldn't be, lights smashed, the remains of the glass scattered all over the room, and my and Zero's blood splattered on the floor. "Yeesh…" I sigh, and slide my hand down the side of my face. "This is gonna take awhile."

I turn to the side of the room, where Ruka had smashed Zero into the wall, and walk over to it. The crack in the wall spread all the way from the point of impact to the ceiling. Well, I'll just put some plaster in that, and paint over it, when it dries. The conference table, which was somehow flipped over, is smashed in half. Don't know what I can do for that… The lights are broken, so I need replacements, and dust and blood is scattered on the floor, which will take a while to remove. The chairs are in places I can't reach by myself, being the short little creature I am. Of course, I could use a spell to make me fly temporarily, but that would exhaust my magic core too much, so I decide against it.

I stare at the mess for a while. I wonder how _this_ happened. I sigh, and pull my right hand out, palm up and straight. I guess I _will _need magic… "Art of Summoning; Cleaning and Fixing Tools." I mutter. What a _useful _spell…Hah, I love sarcasm. Anyway. My hand starts to glow, and I send it down, pointing the fingers to the floor. I snap my fingers, and in a couple seconds, the room is filled with items I need to clean the conference room.

I speak a word of Temporary Life. The objects, which I had just summoned, start to move slowly, as in a trance. Completely in sync, they dance around the room, and act the doctors of all things broken.

Oho, being a sorcerer has its quirks.

I snicker to myself quite boldly, and watch as the tools sway to inaudible music, fixing and cleaning everything in their path. I walk up to a chair, and take a seat in it, smirking happily as everything was being cleaned.

"What are you doing?"

"WAH!" I yelp, and fall backwards in my chair clumsily. When my body hits the ground, I flail my arms around in shock, and place them on my heart to calm myself down. Opening my eyes slowly, I look up to see Zero, hands crossed and tapping his foot. "W-what?" I snap. "Can't you see I'm busy?" I blush a bit in embarrassment, as Zero looks around at the room, seeing my magic in play.

Zero remains silent, his eyes stoic, and not focused on me. I sigh, and prop myself up on my elbows, then stand up, and fix the chair. When my miniscule task is over, I turn to Zero again. "So…? Is there a reason why you've interrupted me?" I try to speak over the sound of walls being painted, the floor being washed, water being sprayed, and vacuum cleaners going off. A hard task.

Zero slits his eyes a bit. I wait. Then he shakes his head faintly, something I would've missed if I wasn't staring at him so intently, and speaks firmly. "You need to train."

"What?" I shake my head in bewilderment. Me? Train! What does he think I've been doing all my life! "Why do I need to train!" I try to edge the insult in my voice out of my words.

Zero turns faintly, and locks his eyes on mine, passive and uncaring. "You rely on magic too much." He turns away again.

"I do not! I have Artemis!" I instinctively, and subconsciously skim the edge of said rod as I say it's name.

"Which relies on magic. But what you don't have is _physical _capability." Zero nearly barks.

"That's rude! Are you calling me unfit!"

"No. If you run out of Magic, besides nearly dying, what will you do to defend yourself?" He blandly says, and subconsciously flips his hair out of his eyes.

I edge back a bit, like I was burned from his words. Zero doesn't notice. Much. But I'm sure he knows, that he hit the head on the nail.

"S-So what! It fine that-eh?" Immediately, Zero's hand comes flying forward at an extreme speed, his target, obviously me. What the _hell _is he doing? Completely unaware of what _I _have to do, I clench my eyes, put my hands up in a defensive position, and wait for the impact.

It doesn't come, but I wait in this stance for a bit longer, then warily open my eyes. And as soon as I can see, Zero positions his hand close to my head, and flicks me. I fly back a bit, and stumble to the floor. I grasp my forehead with my hands. "Ow! That freakin' hurt!" I snap, and rub my forehead in pain. "Jerk…"

But then, I notice something is…different with my body.

Frantically, I whip my head around, as see my tools, the ones I summoned, and stop moving. They drop to the floor, like they lost all their life in moments, and once they touch the ground, disappear. I blink, and find the sudden quietness choking. Thinking of no other solutions to figure this out, I hastily whip out my hand. "The Art of Summoning; Teardrops." My hand, which would usually get pelted by miniature drops of water, now remains dry. Panic floods through my system. I try again, and speak a word of Foresight. My eyesight, and the way I perceive things, does not change. I sputter a bit, and whip my head up at Zero, hastily standing up. "What the _hell _did you do to me?" I scream. I hold my hands out, and feel no magic coursing through them. My heart, the place where all my magic resides, has been cut off from the rest of my body. And I don't like this feeling. It makes my appear as weak to myself. What has Zero done?

"A magic block." He says, as if he read my mind. "You can no longer use magic, until I release you from the spell." Zero says nonchalantly. My eye twitches. You take away my magic, my one and only defense system, and you don't even have the decency to sound at least _half _interested with me?

"Why?" I bark. "That's only form of fighting!" I clench my hands in a tightly held fist, and throw my arms down to my sides.

"Why, you say?" Zero now turns around, and looks me straight in the eye. I now wish he wasn't looking at me again, since his glare is so frightening. I gulp, and take a step back unconsciously. "To develop another fighting skill." He slits his eyes, and I see _disappointment_ swimming through the amethyst. I glare right back at him.

"So, what, do you expect me to '_ask nicely' _to get my powers back?" I mutter sarcastically.

Zero is not amused. "No."

"Chores? Do you want me to clean your room or something." I try.

Zero shakes his head. "No. And you share a room with me, so I expect you to do that anyway."

I gasp in bewilderment, then slap him on the arm. "I'm not your maid or something!" I sigh and shake my head in anger. "Do you have someone you want to date, or something? Do you want me to hook you up with anyone?"

"No." Comes the passive reply.

"Then what?" I whine desperately. "What do I have to do?"

"Fight me" I gasp. "And win within a week."

"Wha…but…I…magic…training…huh?" I sputter out, and flail my arms uncontrollably. "You want me to _beat you_ in a battle _without my magic?_"

Zero nods faintly. "Yes."

I clench my hands in fists, and shake them by my chest. "That's impossible! I could _never _do that!" I exasperatedly choke out. I shake my head in denial, and immediately plan a plot to get this magic block off of me.

And again, it's like Zero can read my mind, as he says. "Only I can get the block off. The only way you can retrieve your powers back is by defeating me in battle. Without your magic. And in a week."

I rub my temples, and glare at Zero. "And what happens if I _don't _win?"

Zero ponders this for a while, but then I see his lips curl up in the faintest sight of a smirk.

Not good.

Not good _at all_.

The small smile gone from his face, Zero speaks menacingly. But it's not his _tone _that scared me. It was his _words. _"If you do not beat me in battle once, for a week, then you will do _everything _I ask of you. No complaining, no whining. Only doing. And you have to survive for...say..._two weeks. _If you do, then you get you're magic back. If you don't...Well, we'll talk about that when the time comes."

I gasp sharply, and my eyes widen immensely. "W-what, n-no…I-I…_WHY!_?" I stutter and trip over my words, raising my voice to an immaculate degree, and rush forward to grab Zero by his collar. I shake him wildly, but then I let go suddenly, and abruptly slam my head in my hands, sinking to my knees. I stay silent for a while, and I don't hear Zero move. Then, I slowly move my hands down, and almost at tears, ask Zero, very, very softly. "You…you're not a _pervert, _are you?"

Zero blinks, and replies the scariest answer of them all. "I'm a male."

I whimper a bit, before I slam my head in my hands once more, quickly pondering my options. Well, this is a no win situation, if I've ever heard one. Well, fine. I have to get my magic back, anyway. I stand up shakily, and give Zero my out stretched hand. "You have a deal." Zero, with that faintest trace of a smirk back on his face, take my hand, and shakes it. I smirk boldly

Oho, I'm royally screwed.

* * *

><p><strong>Heehee, Fight time! And I all know how you guys absolutely LOVE those juicy battle scenes! <strong>

**Yeah, leave a review if you liked the story, and see you next time!**

**~BrawlMaster121**


	6. My Miserable Defeat

****Hey everyone! Sorry for the completely overdue chapter, but I found myself going on a surprise vacation. That, and my FanFiction was acting up.

Anyway, this chapter is **not for the light headed. It involves serious injury, fight scenes, and a whole lot of blood, so if you can't handle it, don't read it. **

I do not own Vampire Knight, or any of the characters, places, or...uh...ideas? The story is the only thing I own.

Loyal readers...the moment you have been waiting for has finally come. FLUFF! But just a tiny bit of it.

Anyway, reviews are GREATLY appreciated, even if they are criticism, and each one is held close to my heart!

**Please note that, unlike the rest of the story, this chapter is told in many different POV's!**

Please enjoy!

**POV Means point of view. It's which character we're seeing the world through. **

* * *

><p><strong>YUUKI'S POV<strong>

"Ow! Ow! Zero, let go of me! I want to sleep!" I swat at Zero's hand unceremoniously, as he drags me by my wrist, quite forcefully may I add, down one of the _many _corridors and hallways in this colossal of a headquarters. Pausing my assault of Zero's arm momentarily, I take a few seconds to examine the paintings and sculptures littering the walls and tables of this outdated, but quite elegant, manor. It's hard to believe that this beautiful structure is home to an organization, that before my life changing events occurred, I would have though to be pure evil.

But now, I'm part of the same group, aiming for the same goal, and that is, in all its simplicity, to overthrow the country, the _Kingdom, _that _I_ was once a part of.

_Once_, being the keyword.

And here I am, being dragged by one of the top members, one of the most powerful, of said organization, completely helpless due to my magic block, which means no spells, and no Artemis, unless a rod hardly the side of my hand counts, to my doom. Or something like it. Oh, and have I mentioned my lack of sleep, due to being woken up at freakin' 5:30 in the morning?

And the reason of this unpleasant start to a day, is, unfortunately, so I can fight the most powerful and experienced person…uh…creature…in this whole goddamn building without my magic, my only system of fighting, to, get this, gain my magic _back!_

Um…Yay?

Regaining my awareness of the situation, I continue beating Zero's arm, though already aware that my attempts are futile, while whining about my lack of sleep. Zero, as always, heedless of my pleas, ignores me, and continues on.

After countless minutes of this going on, and when I start to feel my rest derived feet going numb, I stop moving altogether, as a silent way of protesting.

Zero, obviously annoyed, continues to pull at my arm, but I make sure to plant my feet on the floor like they were made of concrete, and declare, "Let me sleep for a few more hours, and then we can fight to your heart's content!" I ponder my next words. "This is an order!" I try bravely.

Zero stills briskly, lets go of my arm, and turns around sharply, his amethyst eyes gleaming. His mouth twists into a scowl while he hisses at me. "Yuuki, enough! How do you expect to beat me when you're lying on your ass the whole day?!" Zero snaps.

I pout, annoyed. "What do you mean, 'the whole day'?" I complain, and rub my sore wrist, which is now, temporarily, free from Zero's vice grip. " I've only slept for 4 hours!"

"And you want to sleep for 4 more!" Zero barks. I guess he's not much of a morning person, either, judging by his attitude. "Now lets get this fight over and done with, so _you_ can sleep, and _I_ can away from you!" He mutters, quite irritated. I flinch back a bit and swing around to flee as I see Zero make a small lunge for my wrist, but unfortunately don't move away fast enough. Zero's hand latches on to my wrist once more, and much to my annoyance, resumes to dragging me down the corridor against my will.

"Damnit, not again, Zero!"

Holy _mother of a llama! _Why do I have to deal with this?!

* * *

><p><strong>? POV<strong>

The room's darkness, the sense of oppression filling the air, is calming.

The squandering and screaming of the people outside the room, the sound of their panic and demise is like a cigarette for a drug addict to me, sending shivers of ecstasy down my spine as I indulge in my bittersweet pleasures. I open my eyes, and sigh in contentment. Turning to the soldiers on the floor, I wait for my report.

"So…have you found her yet?" I say, my voice echoing out to the distance, wrapping around everyone, and never failing to intimidate the others.

"I-I'm sorry…I'm afraid all our troops were k-killed in b-battle…" his voice shakes as he says "killed". I tilt my head to the side, and gently place my head in my hand, tapping my free fingers on the side of my throne impatiently. "…Leaving no more hints about the princess's whereabouts…" The words are clumsily spurred out, the speaker obviously frightened of me, and I can hardly hear the words over the shrieks of pain coming from the outside. The man strokes his beard nervously.

My eyes shine, then slit, and eyebrows crumple into a frown. "And tell me…how could you lose a single girl, a _single girl,_ with literally hundreds of you, searching for her? _How?!"_ I see the man flinch back, frightened, and I can't help but smile a bit at his act of fear. Oh, how I _love_ the power of intimidation swimming through my bones! But now is not the time to dwell on my greatness, no matter how overwhelming it may be. I beckon the speaker up with an elegant swish of my finger, and call him to me, where I perch on my throne. He shakily makes his way towards me, and I smile menacingly as he takes the couple of step up to my seat. Bending forward, I gently caress his cheek with my hand, and whisper in his ear, "If Lord Kaname heard of this, you _do _know what's going to happen to you and me, I'm sure." He nods hastily. I continue, and lower my voice deeper. "So go out there _now, _and find the damn princess!" Swiftly, I raise my hand up, and let it connect with the man's face harshly. He flies a couple feet, and landing on the floor, skids another. The rest of the room's occupant's shift nervously.

The man, recovering from his injury, nods hastily, and scurries off the floor, and away from me frantically. I lean back in my throne, eyes closed, and hands threading through my hair. Why must I do everything myself? I sigh.

"How long will it take to reach The Cross Kingdom?" I inquire sharply. Another man stands up, and proceeds to answer me.

"Eight days, and seven nights."

I smirk.

"Prepare the carriage. We head out tomorrow."

* * *

><p><strong>YUUKI'S POV<strong>

"Zero, what the hell?! We haven't started yet, damnit!" Yelping, I dodge another knife sent at me quickly, and roll to the floor to dodge another one. "ZERO!"

"Oi. You never said I had to say 'go'." I look up and scowl at Zero, as he stands above me, smirking. I resist the urge to blush at how handsome he looked when he was smiling, and pout a bit.

"Well, it's only fair, eh?" I mutter, and stretch both my hands out in front of me, clenching and unclenching my hands in a 'gimme' gesture. Zero looks at me with mild confusion. "Ugh! Help me up!" I explain.

"No." How blunt…

"What?! Zero, you got me _on_ the floor, now get me _off_ of it!" I bark.

"No, Yuuki. You're strong enough to do it yourself. Don't be lazy!" Zero snaps harshly.

I scowl. "Fine! God, all I was asking was for a little help…"

"For something completely and utterly useless and moronic." Zero finishes. "Now come on. You want to sleep, and I have work to do. There's no time to waste."

I prop myself up in a sitting position with my hands, then climb up to my knees, and finally my feet, ignoring the look Zero shot at me as I took my time doing so. I take a moment to look around at the room. Quite big and roomy, since there's nearly no furniture that adorned the floor or the walls. But there's a plethora of weapons hanging from the wall in back of the room, a lot of which I couldn't even tell what they were. The room looked sturdy, made with thick concrete and steel, with no elaborate designs, like the rest of the manor, and there were no windows in which we could crash through. A true training room.

"Hmph…" I crack my knuckles together, and smirk, completely betraying my insides, which were begging to run away. "You're right. And the sooner I beat you, the sooner I get my magic back. Alright…" I bend down, and pick up the knife, which nearly impaled me before at Zero's skilled hands, from off the floor, and throw it behind my shoulders. "But no weapons, agreed?"

Zero sighs. "Fine. Now…let's go!"

Immediately, Zero comes charging at me, hand stretched out, ready for an impact. As he reaches me, he thrusts his hand forward to hit, but I instantly react, and put my hand up, all fingers outstretched to block his oncoming punch. As his fist lands in my hand, I curl my fingers around to grasp it, and pull him forward so that he sails into me. Stretching out my knee, I swing my leg forward, and slam my kneecap his stomach. The smack is a rewarding sound, and only proof that my attack was rather painful. Zero winces a bit, and flies back, but lands on his feet perfectly, and only to rush forward much swifter than before.

But I'm recovering from my earlier onslaught, so a kick is aimed squarely at my hip, and Zero's foot hits me soundly in a perfect kick. I cry out a bit, and crash into the wall, causing it to crack a bit, and sending rubble everywhere. Lying on the broken concrete, I have but a moment to rest, before a fist is suddenly send straight at me. I nearly scream bloody murder and duck down frantically, as the fist connects with the wall, shattering it.

Before Zero has another opportunity to attack, I grab his arm, push off of the wall, and flip over it, twisting it so he can't move without breaking the limb, almost smirking as I hear Zero gasp in pain, and send a high kick to his face. Zero dodges the attack, rips his arm away from me, and grabs my outstretched leg. I try to pull away, but his hands remain, as he throws me down in the ground unceremoniously.

Gathering my senses, (And the air I lost with that attack.) and taking advantage of my new position, I hook my leg around Zero's hamstring, and trip him to the floor, smirking at the shock written on his face. I immediately stand up, and jump up of the ground, preparing to slam my foot down on Zero's body. But just before I'm able to touch him, Zero rolls back, gracefully stands up, and handsprings away.

"Damnit, Zero!" I groan. Can he stay still for a bit?

I dash forward, and aim a quick chop to his neck. Zero blocks with his arm, and swings his free hand for a slap. I block that with _my_ free arm, and we stand there, trying to overpower one another for a couple of seconds. As I feel my strength slipping in this obviously overmatched test of power, I abruptly pull back, causing Zero to stumble forward a bit. Taking complete advantage of his current state, I handspring over to him, and my feet in the air, latch my legs around his surprising thin waist. Using my hands, which are placed cleverly on the floor, I flip over, and slam Zero's head in the steel ground, myself landing in a crouch position. But he recovers in a millisecond, and in a sitting position, wipes the blood off of his mouth calmly. I blink.

Bad mistake.

When my eyes open, Zero is suddenly next to me, starting his next barrage. No time to think, I prepare to counter.

His leg goes for my face. I catch his leg, and prepare to slam it on my knee, hopefully breaking the limb. He pulls back instantaneously, but I'm there faster. I raise my hand in a slap, and send it sailing down. Zero catches my arm once again, and grabs the wrist of my other one. Then, much to my horror, he throws me high in the air, sending me tossing and tumbling.

Do to the high ceiling, there is no worry of me hitting concrete, but that just means Zero can throw me higher and increase the risk of another attack. Sure enough, as I sail through the air, I see Zero jump up quite powerfully (Because he's a vampire?), and reaches me in no time. He starts to flip violently, with one leg outstretched, faster and swifter as every moment goes by, until his form becomes a blurred vortex. No doubt he's preparing a dangerous assault that could end this battle if it hits, and I gasp in fear as I can't move. The rotation of his body is so powerful, that I can sense that it's dragging my utterly helpless form closer into the range of his calamitous offense. And sure enough, once he comes close enough to touch me, he slams his leg down in an immensely powerful axe kick, his target, unfortunately, me. Seeing no possible way to counter attack, I hold my arms up in an 'X' position, and do my best to reduce the massive damage about to be given to me by the dangerous kick. Painfully, his leg collides with my arms, but my defense hardly does anything. I feel something break, as my arms are swung back and my block is broken through, and the attack hits completely into my upper torso, breaking my ribs, probably snapping my spine, and most likely smashing my collarbone. I'm send crashing down to the floor, and as my back collides the steel ground, my spine reverberates painfully, and all of the air is pushed out of my body, leaving me gasping, not only for air, but for unconsciousness.

I stay still for a bit, trying not to groan or move, but as the agony escalates, I roll over, and cry out in pain. But I stay strong, trying to gather myself into a sitting position, and trying to propel myself up with my arms. But as the bones are snapped, I gasp in agony, as my limbs give out, and I fall to the floor once more. Panting, I violently cough out blood, wincing as it sprays to the ground in large splatters, and try to shakily move my hands up to prevent myself from staining the steel. But I find the simple task undoable, since my limbs are ruined. More blood falls onto the floor from the top of my head, and my vision blurs red, from my life liquid falling from every nook and cranny of my whole body. I try to stretch my legs out, but gain sharp protests from my spine and bottom, and as my gasping and panting increases, my chest burns immensely, and pain is shot to everywhere in my body. My head starts pounding, my vision's blurring, my body's in complete agony, and my mind is losing control.

But what's worst is what I feel inside.

That I'm a _loser_. Of course, losing is a definite possibility for everyone, and I'm quite aware that in the world, there will always be someone stronger than you. But to lose with a margin like _this? _To be pushed to the brink of _death, _and have your opponent nearly _unscathed?_ And to Zero, I'm sure this is just a measly victory gained from a horrible opponent, who couldn't do anything _worthwhile_ when it came to physical aspects. And hell, has Zero even _lost _a battle before?! I mean, I bet he was going easy on me! If he actually tried, I'm sure he could beat me with, _what,_ a flick of his _fingers?_!

And I _know_ Zero says I'll get better over time, and I _know_ that I'm just starting out…

But this is just _pathetic. _

Tears weld up in my eyes, as my thoughts run away with me. My confidence shattered, my bones shattered even _more_, and my reputation down the drain. I shudder in agony and shake violently as more blood is thrown from my mouth in a series of rather violent coughs. But my tears don't fall. I need to uphold at least a _little _of my dignity.

Footsteps echoing out from my side snap me out of my thoughts and bring me back to the real world. I slowly turn my body to face Zero, whose eyes are widened. As his eyes lock on to my battered frame, I hear a tiny gasp echo out from his mouth, as he takes a step back, no doubt surprised at how much damage his attack really did. I close my eyes slowly. "_Yuuki?!_" He shouts, as he rushes forward, and drops down beside me. He shakes me a bit, to make sure I'm with him. "Yuuki? Yuuki…come on…Answer me!" The shaking becomes more insistent, and is increasing the damage to my arm, so at this moment of time, I open my eyes shakily, ignoring the throbbing of my head I gained with the tiny gesture, and look at Zero with half lidded eyes. I smile, in order to insure him I'm alright, which I most definitely _wasn't,_ and place my battered arm on his, trying to hold back the wince as I did so.

"I-I'm f-fine…I…promise. J-Just… get me a…doctor…would y-you…" I stammer out. After all, I wouldn't want to make the boy feel any worse then how his is now, yeah? I cough a bit, and Zero flinches a bit.

How out of character…

Gathering my nerves, I roll so my front faces the floor, and prepare my arms to, once again, strain to stand up. My hands ready to push, I gain a shock of déjà vu, as I had done this not even, say, 5 minutes ago, but in better condition. See how humans…and vampires…take simple actions, such as getting up, for granted?

Okay. Here we go. I press forcefully against the steel floor with my hands, my arms already screaming with protest, and my mouth about to do the same. Trying to ignore the excruciating pain burning through my limbs, I proceed to push myself up on my knees successfully, though I feel like passing out this early.

Next part.

"Yuuki, enough! I'll help you get up!" Zero pleads. "Your body has taken too much damage!" Do you understand that I'm doing this for your sake?!

"N-no! I'm fine…A-After a-all…I'm _s-strong enough to do it m-myself." _I prevent myself from smirking._ "_And… Iwouldn't…want to…_be l-lazy. _And…who c-could…p-possibility need help…with something…so _c-completely and utterly u-useless…and…moronic?" _I bite out, despite my damaged condition. You better believe I'm mocking him. After all, what better opportunity could rise like this one? I cough a bit.

"Yuuki! This is no time poke fun! Let me-"

"No! I c-can do i-it myself!" I say, once and for all. "Y-You got…me on the floor, but this…time, I'm g-getting…_off of it!"_ I stutter, as my pain intensifies. I struggle on my knees, to get at least one foot out from behind me, and on to the floor, to gain me the leverage I need to push myself into a standing position. "A-And I'm…not s-so…weak…" My right knee is struggling, but I'm able to bring it in front, and plant my foot in a strong hold. "…that y-you have…to…" I clench my teeth together, and brace myself, as I begin to push my foot downwards. "H-help me…w-with…" I push forcefully, and whimper in pain as my legs start to burn, and my spine starts to feel shaky. "…everything!" Finally, I push hard enough to get myself into a standing position, and hold my ground, though shaking. I feel the pride overwhelm me as I turn to Zero, and smile.

"S-see…!" I laugh a bit, and cough more. "I c-can do…it…you know!" I cough rapidly, and gasp for air a bit. But this doesn't stop me from talking. "I c-can d-do…it my…" My legs give out abruptly, my arms don't do anything to protect myself from my fall, my vision blurs, and my mind goes blank all in one second, as I plummet to the floor once more. But before I'm able to crash into the steel ground, one that I've grown accustomed to, warm arms envelop me, and lift me up to a sturdy body, hugging me closer into a hard, but surprisingly soft, frame. "…self." I mutter.

We start to move, I notice, but I don't see anything. Closing my eyes, I try to let sleep overtake me, to drop in the blissful world of oblivion and the unaware. After all, I'd rather _not _feel then to be in this amount of pain. Calming myself down is no easy task, but with the rhythmic rise and fall of Zero's chest, the soft puffs of air that gently caress my face from above me, and the soft steps that resonate around me as we make our way…well…somewhere, I find myself drifting away in no time. Only to be woken up by Zero, who insists that I shan't sleep until I get in a partially stable condition.

"Yuuki…stay awake." Zero's monotones voice rings out. "Your condition isn't fatal, but is definitely somewhat _serious."_

I force my eyes open for a bit, and struggle out, "W-were you…g-going e-easy on…me?" I gasp. It may not be fatal, but it's sure as hell _painful_!

I look into Zero's eyes. Nothing, except a small hint of remorse. He looks down, and catches my gaze with his intent one, and despite myself, I blush a bit and try not to look away. Zero stays silent for a while, but continues gazing at me, so I shift, despite the pain it brings me, uncomfortably in his arms, and wait for his answer. He sighs, and tightens his hold around my shaking frame, most likely telling me not to move anymore. Zero closes his eyes, and looks away, but his mouth breaks open a bit, to explain. "In the beginning, yes." I grimace. I knew it. "…But…" _But? _"Once you were able to block my first punch, and counter attacked with that powerful knee…I knew you weren't going down without a fight. " Zero scoffs, and I smile a bit. "I concluded then, that if I wanted to win, I couldn't lose a second's concentration." My smile widens, and I lick a tiny bit of blood off my lips. The metallic taste was something I've grown accustomed to, sadly, after today. I wait for Zero to finish."Towards the end, especially after you landed the handspring into a body slam…good move, by the way, I realized that I could actually _lose _this thing, and if I didn't want to…well…not only would I have to fight with complete concentration, I would also need a strategy." I nod stiffly, and sniff a bit.

We stay silent for a while, the only sound the tiny taps of Zero's shoes. I listen intently, and focus on the noise, trying to block away my fatigue, and the small voice inside of my head, begging me to sleep. Zero doesn't speak anymore, and honestly, him speaking this much is a rarity, so I indulge in the first amount of silence I've been able to have in these past couple of days. But…

"Yuuki…?"

I blink a bit, and hold back a yawn. "Y-yes, Zero…?"

"I'm sorry."

And with that, I close my eyes, and let the oblivion take me into a blissful slumber.

* * *

><p><strong>ZERO'S POV<strong>

Walking through the corridors, it occurs to me that I have a lot on my mind. Which is quite unusual for me.

I look at the girl, who sleeps calmly in my arms, despite her current injuries, which seem to be quite painful, and sigh a bit as she coughs rather harshly. Stupid girl, trusting a vampire enough to sleep in his arms when the odds are against her. Surely, she couldn't have forgotten that, one, she's bleeding quite a bit. Two, if I were to attack her, she'd be in no position to fight back successfully. Three, I'm rather thirsty, as I haven't had a drink in a while, and four, I'm injured and losing blood, which only incites my thirst more. She should have remembered at least _one _of them…

But, then again, she's in this condition because of me. How many of her bones are broken? How many fractured? Has she ruptured any organs, or popped any muscles? Concussions? Internal bleeding? Every single one of those is possible, and with a high success rate as well. But what made me lose control? What made me so…so _wary _of her, that I was to hit her with my full strength? This is completely unlike me, as I would never make such a moronic and stupid mistake in normal circumstances.

But that's just it…What if…

This wasn't just a _normal_ fight, with a _normal_ girl?

What if I see something _more _in her, something so diverse_…_something sostrange and _dangerous…_that my intuition automatically took over? I abruptly still, and stare at the girl who still sleeps despite being battered from all angles, the girl who looks so _delicate _and _fragile, _yet is so _willed_ and _strong…_and the girl, who in battle, was so skilled, that she drove me the point losing my self-control, _without_ her magic…

No. Impossible.

Scaring me to the point where my instincts take over is unheard of…and it _definitely _couldn't happen with this…this _princess! _The only other person who was able to do that was…

Was…

…

I need to get off this topic. I'll make sure that it won't happen again, and that's that. I resume walking once more.

It looks like she'll need at least a day to recover, but if she drinks some blood, and has one of us cure her, she'll be fine within 24 hours. Quite the relief…

_Why was I so worried about her?_

…Eh?

If I had a drink in my mouth, I would most definitely spray the contents on the floor.

"What the…" I mutter out, and bite my lip. Why do my thoughts become more uncomfortable for me as they go on?

…But

When her body hit the steel floor after my final offense, and she didn't make any attempt to move, I nearly felt my heart stop. For the first few silent, agonizingly quiet seconds, I was convinced that I had killed her, but when she flipped over, the relief flooding through me was unstoppable. The panic, though, soon raised again once more, as she coughed out at least a pint of blood and wailed out in pain, a tear jerking, pitiful little sound that I had never heard her make. When she tried to lift herself up, but failed completely, collapsing once again on the floor, I assumed enough was enough, and made my way over to help her. Her form, though I could only see her back, was so beat up, so battered, that I stopped dead in my tracks once I gained better sight of her. She must have sensed me coming, because as soon as I stopped, she made a small attempt of rolling over, and looking me straight in the eyes. And what made me gasp were not the bruises, not the blood that stained her…well…_everything,_ and not her arms, which were bent at an odd angle. No.

It was the fact that she was _crying_. The tears didn't fall, and she made a huge attempt of keeping it under check, but they were still there. And that's what matters.

But after I consoled her, after I talked to her a bit, and after she asked me to get a doctor, she did probably the stupidest thing I've ever seen a human do in my eventful life. In her condition, with her arms broken, her spine fractured, enough blood loss to cause anemia, her vision dazed, and her rib cage split, this silly human actually tried to stand up!

But she succeeded. Even when I told her I'd help her, even when I said that she was too injured, and it would've been to much of a strain on her body, all she did was mock me, ignore my warnings, and continue on. And after, when she regained her stance, standing on the floor…she smiled. Through the excruciating agony she was dealing with, after losing, I'm sure, her first battle, and just about ready to pass out, she smiled at me, to convince me that my attack didn't do that much to her. That she could still stand up, even after being beaten down to a serious degree. Then…her body gave out, only proof of how much struggle she went through to do that simple, yet horrible task, and all for my sake.

So how could I let her hit the floor once more?

The warm feeling swimming around in my insides…was it pride? Respect? Well, whatever was, I definitely view her differently than before…

I come out of my thoughts, to gaze at Yuuki's peaceful face, taking in slow gulps of air, and blowing them out to a inaudible beat. We reach the door that takes us to the rooms, and I open it carefully, trying to prevent as much noise as possible to keep Yuuki asleep. Silently, I take a few seconds to walk across the hallways and to our room, and grasp the door handle softly, turning it. I take a step inside of our room, and shutting the door, glance at the clock on the side of the desk next to the bed. 9:34 in the morning…Well, at least she has enough time to recuperate…

I lay the limp body on the bed softly, and come around to sit on the opposite side of her. Yuuki remains asleep, but seems to shuffle a bit, trying intently to grab on to something. I watch her struggle for a bit longer and sigh, before I slowly reach my hand over, and connect it with hers. Immediately, she calms down, and shifts closer to me, as I gaze at her face, while an unknown feeling swims inside of me. I wonder why…with her…with _Yuuki_…I always act so odd. So _strange. _But…maybe…

Yuuki's grip on my hand tightens, and she scoots over even closer, enough so that she can reach me. Slowly, she stretches her free hand over, and grasps on to my pants, clenching tighter, and smiles a bit in her sleep.

But maybe strange…

I smile a ghost of a smile, and move my hand to swipe some hair from out of her face, looking at her peacefully sleeping. A ridiculously warm feeling envelops my insides, as I hold back the urge to chuckle as Yuuki sneezes comically, my smile only widening the more I look at her.

Maybe strange…is a _good_ thing.

* * *

><p>YAH! ROMANTIC DEVELOPMENT TIME!<p>

**Zero is not in love with Yuuki yet. That would be too soon. He just noticed that's she's different from other people, and even has an influence on him to act differently. He's interested, not in love!**

That will come soon! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! I CAN'T EMPHASIS THIS ENOUGH!

So, did you like it?


End file.
